Chapter 59: Deserved It
“There’s something I want to say—can I?”
Standing beside the body, the young man held a handkerchief over his nose. Under the furious stares of the crowd, he said blandly:
“He died beautifully.”
The tall man beside him twitched at the corner of his mouth. He looked a lot like Shang Fuyan, but his aura was colder, more distant.
Even someone that cold felt a headache coming on right now.
He glanced at the young man’s mocking, disdainful expression, then at the Zhang family members who looked like they wanted to tear the young man apart. Suddenly he understood why his younger brother had specifically told him to “keep an eye on” this person.
So it was to prevent him from being mobbed.
Though not exactly… When Shang Fuyan said that to his brother, he was more worried that if Lin Jiangye got mobbed, he’d casually counterattack…
And then beat the whole group half to death.
—
After learning why the capital people wanted him, Lin Jiangye refused without hesitation.
He thought they’d already left. But when they heard the Zhang family’s child had seemingly been killed by the white-tailed sea eagle, they suddenly appeared at Lin Jiangye’s home, wanting to “invite” him to investigate the case.
And they got taught a lesson.
He didn’t even lift a hand. The animal cubs at home simply couldn’t stand seeing him being forced, so they attacked the outsiders on their own.
Tiger Mom wasn’t there—but the crows were.
Crows weren’t raptors, but their attack power was no joke. And Lin Jiangye’s mountain forest hid hundreds—thousands—of crows.
Under the crows’ siege, those people finally learned to behave. When they came again, their invitation was sincere.
Lin Jiangye had never intended not to go. If he didn’t go and investigate properly, that white-tailed sea eagle’s life might not be spared.
Even if everyone knew the dead child wasn’t killed by the sea eagle, the bird would still be blamed.
Actually—scratch “might.” It would definitely be blamed.
But going was one thing; being forced was another. Lin Jiangye couldn’t afford to look weak in front of them.
So yes—they finally learned.
Hearing Lin Jiangye was leaving, Shang Fuyan wasn’t surprised at all. When he saw him off, he told Lin Jiangye deliberately:
“I had my brother go pick you up. If you run into anything, just go to my brother.”
Shang Fuyan’s older brother, Shang Yongyi, was also a police officer—only his position was far higher. If Lin Jiangye caused trouble, as long as it wasn’t too serious or outright illegal… Shang Yongyi could absolutely shield him.
When Shang Yongyi received his younger brother’s request, he was genuinely surprised. After all, his brother rarely asked him for anything.
And this time, he was actually asking on someone else’s behalf.
“You value him that much?”
“Yes. So… please, big brother.”
Oh? Now this was something you didn’t see every day—Shang Fuyan actually called him “big brother.”
Because Shang Fuyan had asked him personally, Shang Yongyi grew curious about Lin Jiangye. He searched online and discovered the young man was far more famous than he’d expected.
After reading about all the things Lin Jiangye had done, Shang Yongyi suddenly understood why the Zhang family wanted to “invite” this person over.
But… if the kid was that capable, surely he didn’t need anyone to look after him, right?
It wasn’t until Lin Jiangye arrived in the capital—when the two of them got off the plane and went straight to the station—that Shang Yongyi finally understood why his brother had specifically warned him.
The moment Lin Jiangye was brought before the body, he glanced at the marks on the corpse and immediately concluded it wasn’t the work of a white-tailed sea eagle.
“Why?”
Facing everyone’s confusion, Lin Jiangye answered flatly, “The claw marks are too big. They’re even bigger than a golden eagle’s. Don’t tell me you see ‘raptor-like’ scratches and just assume a raptor did it?”
Shang Yongyi fell silent for a moment. He naturally didn’t believe a raptor had done it either—unfortunately, these people…
“So you say it isn’t, and that’s that?”
“Are you blind? Can’t you go online and pull up claw prints for comparison? You can’t even do something that simple—did a pig eat your brain?” Lin Jiangye snapped back without the slightest politeness, and that arrogant attitude instantly infuriated the Zhang family.
And it was only after meeting the Zhang family in person that Lin Jiangye fully understood what kind of person the dead boy had been.
The deceased was Zhang Yushu, the Zhang patriarch’s youngest son—born late in life, and therefore spoiled to extremes.
But this youngest son had something wrong with him psychologically. Since childhood he’d been unusually violent—hurting animals, hurting household staff, even hurting classmates at school. Lin Jiangye’s expression grew even colder.
If he weren’t worried about the white-tailed sea eagle, he would’ve turned around and left on the spot.
Someone like this—dead was dead. Honestly, the people he’d bullied might be lighting firecrackers in celebration if they heard he was gone.
To be frank, Lin Jiangye nearly laughed. If Shang Fuyan’s brother hadn’t been right there, he wouldn’t have dared be so blatant—but he really would’ve laughed out loud.
And yet Shang Yongyi could see the amusement in Lin Jiangye’s eyes at a glance—most people present could, too, because Lin Jiangye barely bothered to hide it.
Shang Yongyi had to admit… he felt a bit happy as well.
He wasn’t unaware of how vile the boy had been. But with the Zhang family protecting him, victims weren’t willing to file cases. And the boy always acted with just enough “control,” keeping most injuries under the “minor” threshold, which made it hard for police to intervene.
On top of that, the boy was only ten—still a minor. Unless it was an extremely serious criminal case, there was no real way to sentence him.
So Shang Yongyi also deeply disliked the Zhang family.
When the Zhang patriarch noticed Lin Jiangye’s barely concealed smile, he couldn’t help cursing a few times. Lin Jiangye finally stopped holding back and openly voiced what he truly thought.
In the next second, the entire Zhang family exploded in fury.
Even if some of them didn’t particularly like the dead boy either, he was still a Zhang. They wouldn’t tolerate some “outsider” looking down on him.
Just as they were about to surge forward, Shang Yongyi gave a hard cough—instantly crushing the rising agitation.
He shot Lin Jiangye a look, signaling him to say less.
Seeing that face so similar to Shang Fuyan’s, Lin Jiangye silently took a deep breath and obediently shut his mouth.
“If you want to keep making a scene and arguing nonsense, then don’t bother calling the police. Just cremate him and bury him yourselves. From the way you’re acting, you don’t even care who the killer is.” Obsessed with blaming the white-tailed sea eagle—did these people even want the real murderer found? If they didn’t, he’d take his team and leave immediately.
The Zhang family dared to be angry at Lin Jiangye, but they didn’t dare be angry at Shang Yongyi.
The Shang family wasn’t someone you provoked lightly.
Once everyone finally quieted down, Shang Yongyi had the space to look at the autopsy report.
“The deceased died of excessive blood loss. The injuries were indeed inflicted by something like sharp talons. Those wounds are what caused the death.”
There were two deep gouges on the body, both running from the collarbone down to the abdomen—cutting across the entire chest.
Lin Jiangye leaned in to examine them carefully. He was a hair’s breadth away from having his organs torn open.
That wasn’t something an ordinary raptor could do. If a raptor truly had killed him, it would have to be something on the level of a golden eagle—and likely a female.
Anything above that would be Andean condors, harpy eagles, bald eagles, crowned eagles—world-class protected raptors that didn’t even live in this country.
“The killer has to be human. Instead of wondering which raptor did it, you should think about who hated him enough to do this.” And judging by things, the dead boy had plenty of enemies.
“Cough!” Shang Yongyi coughed hard again.
Lin Jiangye shut up again.
“The body was found in the woods on the family’s property. None of the surrounding cameras captured a suspect. We reasonably suspect the killer was someone who appeared at the Zhang family that day.” The officer who had been investigating the case wasn’t stupid. He never believed the Zhang family’s “sea eagle murder” story.
If it really were, he’d be delighted—it would be an accident.
But unfortunately, it wasn’t.
“Have you investigated the relevant people?” Shang Yongyi asked.
That question made the officer sigh deeply. “That day the Zhang family held a banquet. There were just too many people.”
And many of them were big shots across different industries—far beyond what an ordinary officer could casually investigate.
Shang Yongyi snorted and issued a direct order. “Call them all back. Take statements one by one.”
The officer jerked his head up and met Shang Yongyi’s meaningful gaze.
“Understood! I’ll do it!”
Lin Jiangye skimmed the autopsy report. When he saw where the body had been found, he raised an eyebrow—killed in his own family garden… that was really—
“Cough, cough, cough!” Shang Yongyi coughed again, hard. His head was starting to ache. His brother had been right—if you didn’t keep an eye on this guy, he’d definitely stir up trouble.
Lin Jiangye shot him an annoyed look. He hadn’t even said anything yet—what was with the coughing?
Shang Yongyi pressed a hand on his shoulder and asked, “Can you help us take a look at the crime scene?”
It had been less than twenty-four hours. The traces on site were still fresh. Maybe he could find a “witness” nearby.
Lin Jiangye leaned back slightly. If the police were already focusing on the killer, and not getting tangled with that pack of Zhang-family idiots, why should he jump in?
But then Shang Yongyi offered a condition Lin Jiangye hadn’t expected at all:
“Help us. When we find the white-tailed sea eagle, I’ll give it to you.”
“???”
Lin Jiangye’s eyes widened in shock. Then his gaze dropped to the badge on Shang Yongyi’s chest, and he blinked innocently.
If he remembered correctly, the white-tailed sea eagle was a top-tier protected species. Could it be privately kept?
A police officer knowingly breaking the law… that didn’t sound great.
Shang Yongyi’s hand tightened slightly on Lin Jiangye’s shoulder. He stared at him with a smile that wasn’t a smile.
“I. Am. Not. Breaking. The. Law.”
Lin Jiangye kept blinking innocently—he hadn’t even said anything.
A tiny “#” practically popped on Shang Yongyi’s forehead. His smile turned even more eerie. “Did my brother ever tell you that sometimes you just look like you need a beating?”
Lin Jiangye shifted his gaze away, practically one step from whistling.
Shang Yongyi laughed despite himself. “Alright, I won’t hide it from you. That sea eagle was hand-raised from infancy. It can’t adapt to the wild. Even if we find it, it’ll most likely be placed with a zoo. Your zoo isn’t open yet, but your qualifications are already in place. When the time comes, coordinate with the Forestry Bureau and have them run the proper procedures.”
He paused, then lowered his voice by Lin Jiangye’s ear. “Honestly, handing it to anyone else wouldn’t be safe. It’s better if you take it. If you can train it to return to the wild, that’s best. If not, it can only stay with you.”
Shang Yongyi didn’t particularly like animals, but this one was pitiful.
The Zhang family had used illegal methods to imprison a top-protected animal as a toy. He’d already written that debt down in his little ledger.
More animals was always welcome to Lin Jiangye. His only concern was the legal side.
But since Shang Fuyan’s big brother guaranteed it would be handled properly, Lin Jiangye naturally wouldn’t refuse.
A white-tailed sea eagle! A freaking eagle!
Seeing Lin Jiangye’s eyes light up instantly, Shang Yongyi couldn’t help finding it funny. His brother had been right—mention animals, and this guy became easy to talk to.
They arrived at the Zhang family estate. The place where the boy died was a large stretch of woodland—also one of the areas where they kept animals.
Lin Jiangye looked around, then looked at the animals imprisoned there.
Very few of the animals the Zhang family kept were ordinary. The “most ordinary” was probably the Tibetan Mastiff.
That mastiff started barking madly the moment it saw them. Several officers stumbled backward in fright. Only Lin Jiangye, Shang Yongyi, and the medical examiner stood perfectly still.
Lin Jiangye leaned forward curiously. Hearing the mastiff’s barking, the corner of his mouth lifted slightly.
Then the medical examiner suddenly asked, “What is it saying?”
Lin Jiangye glanced back at him, then looked again at the mastiff howling its head off, a faint smile in his voice.
“When you see it like this, don’t you feel like it’s about to lunge and bite someone?”
This Tibetan Mastiff was enormous. It kept lunging toward them over and over. If not for the wrist-thick iron chain around its neck, it probably would have rushed them for real.
The other officers instinctively nodded. In this state, didn’t it look exactly like it wanted to tackle someone?
But Lin Jiangye shook his head—and even walked straight toward the mastiff.
The moment he got close, the mastiff that had been barking its head off instantly panicked. The fierce “woof” it was about to roar came out wrong—suddenly pinched, as if its voice had been squeezed.
Lin Jiangye stopped in front of it. This dog, nearly half a man tall, actually tried to back up a step.
Even though the handler was gripping the chain tightly, the dog’s retreating movement was still obvious to everyone.
The Zhang family’s faces immediately darkened. They had thought their big dog would scare these people senseless—especially those two annoying ones!
They hadn’t expected reality to flip completely the other way around.
Lin Jiangye simply reached out and, under the handler’s horrified gaze, gently rubbed the mastiff’s ear.
Then, suddenly, the mastiff opened its mouth and bit down on Lin Jiangye’s forearm.
The sight made the officers’ hearts leap into their throats. Even Shang Yongyi’s heart seemed to skip a beat.
But Lin Jiangye didn’t pull his arm back. He just let the mastiff hold his forearm in its mouth, smiling as he asked, “What’s your name?”
His voice was completely different from before.
Seeing he wasn’t afraid at all, the mastiff lowered its head in disappointment and released his arm with a soft whine, its eyes full of curiosity.
[General! Woof is General!]
Lin Jiangye leaned in and murmured something into its ear. The mastiff’s eyes widened in shock—then it let out a series of sad, muffled whimpers and flopped onto the ground, losing all the imposing bravado it had just displayed.
Everyone was dying to know what Lin Jiangye had said—even the handler beside the mastiff was curious—but unfortunately, no one had heard a thing.
“Are you sure?”
[No… there wasn’t. There wasn’t. Woof will never see it again…]
Lin Jiangye sighed inwardly. He had wanted to ask about the whereabouts of the white-tailed sea eagle. Since it had been hand-raised, he suspected it likely hadn’t even left the estate.
The Zhang estate was huge, so not every area had surveillance cameras. Especially in the woods—what use were cameras there, anyway?
But the mastiff had never seen the sea eagle appear, so it couldn’t give any clues.
Lin Jiangye rubbed the dog’s head, soothed it a few words until it regained some spirit, and then returned to Shang Yongyi’s side.
“What did you get?” Shang Yongyi had heard about Lin Jiangye’s ability from his brother, and didn’t doubt it in the slightest.
“No sign of the white-tailed sea eagle. I also asked where it was when the incident happened. It said it was in another courtyard.” Which meant it didn’t know whether anyone suspicious had been nearby at the time.
Shang Yongyi turned to the Zhang family and coldly asked what had happened that day.
“At the time, Yushu was playing with the gyrfalcon. We don’t know what happened, but he suddenly tried to attack it and threw a tantrum. To keep him from disturbing the guests, Father shouted at him to go back to his room. But Yushu refused, and he walked into the scenic woods alone.” In other words, when the incident occurred, no one else was with the deceased.
The Zhang family looked helpless. This was their home—who would’ve thought someone could be killed in their own house? Especially when the place was full of people.
“Yes, full of people,” Lin Jiangye blurted out. “Which makes it even more convenient to kill someone.”
Shang Yongyi took a deep breath. This time he didn’t want to cough—if he kept coughing, his throat would suffer.
Shang Fuyan—look at the person you brought out!
Maybe they’d been irritated by Lin Jiangye too many times, because this time the Zhang family didn’t explode.
“Where’s the gyrfalcon? I want to see it.” Lin Jiangye issued the order to the Zhang family. They didn’t want to listen, but Shang Yongyi was watching.
“Hurry and bring it over. You’re not in a rush right now? If you’re not, we can leave.”
With Shang Yongyi intimidating them like that, the Zhang family, though face dark as iron, still complied.
Soon, Lin Jiangye finally saw the captive gyrfalcon.
The moment he saw it, his brows knitted into a tight knot.
This gyrfalcon was clearly not living well here. The Zhang family was wealthy, yet the bird had been kept skin-and-bones. Its feathers were sparse and ragged—and its overall condition and spirit were even worse.
What the hell? If you can’t care for it, don’t keep it. Keeping it like this—are these people sick in the head?
“Is the Zhang family… going bankrupt?” Just six words, but they fully expressed what Lin Jiangye really meant.
The handler shrugged and muttered defensively, “It’s because it lost a fight. That’s why it doesn’t get food… When it wins again, it can eat until it’s full…”
Lin Jiangye’s brow jumped. He was about to say something when Shang Yongyi pressed a hand on his shoulder from behind.
“Focus on the case.”
Fine.
Lin Jiangye glanced back at Shang Yongyi, then jerked his chin toward the gyrfalcon—an unspoken meaning that anyone with a brain could understand.
If he could take the white-tailed sea eagle, then surely he could take the gyrfalcon too, right?
Shang Yongyi practically wanted to roll his eyes. But after inhaling deeply, he still nodded.
Fine, fine—take it. Take them all back and raise them properly, alright?
Getting the answer he wanted, Lin Jiangye looked back at the pitiful gyrfalcon. He carefully stroked its wing feathers, and a wave of tenderness softened his eyes.
“Little one, can you tell me what happened between you and that little beast—cough—between you and Zhang Yushu that day?”
When Lin Jiangye’s hand reached over, the gyrfalcon instinctively squeezed its eyes shut and shrank back—an obvious aftereffect of being beaten badly before.
But after a long moment, when the warmth on its body still hadn’t turned into searing pain, the gyrfalcon finally trembled and opened one eye, studying the young man who smelled strangely safe.
“Tell me. Don’t be afraid. After you say everything you need to say, you’ll be free. I’ll take you away. I’ll give you good food. I’ll prepare a big, big nest for you, and there will be lots of little ones to keep you company. When your body recovers, if you want to leave, I’ll find you a suitable forest. If you don’t want to leave, I have a big forest at home for you to play in.”
Without realizing it, the gyrfalcon had already been transferred from the handler’s grasp into Lin Jiangye’s arms.
The Zhang family wanted to protest, but the moment they saw Shang Yongyi, their words stuck in their throats.
How that gyrfalcon came into their hands—one investigation and it would be clear. If they made a fuss, they might not even be able to keep the other animals.
Actually—whether they fussed or not, they wouldn’t be able to keep them anyway.
Perhaps because it finally felt a long-lost sense of safety, the gyrfalcon dropped all its defenses and curled into Lin Jiangye’s embrace.
[Falcon… got bullied…] The bird said it without any emotion at all, clearly long numb to it.
But its next sentence gave Lin Jiangye an extremely important piece of information.
[Falcon saw a group of huge, fluffy big birds—very big, bigger than humans. But they had human heads. Very strange… Falcon was a little scared.]
A flock of giant birds with human heads?
Did this world have bird-men too?!
Lin Jiangye was stunned out of his mind.
Author’s Note:
The white-tailed sea eagle is a Class I protected species.
The gyrfalcon (also called “Haedongqing”) is also Class I protected.
Fiction is fiction; reality is reality—neither can be kept privately in real life.
