With Yan Tuo on site, applying for the search warrant was straightforward. Less than ten minutes later, the electronic copy arrived.
As soon as they stepped inside the house, they saw clothes and odds and ends belonging to both adults and children strewn about in chaos—clear signs of a frantic escape. After discovering a charred vest and sandals stained with blood in the trash can, Huang Anli was officially designated the primary suspect in the Huangshaliao mass extermination case.
On the drive back, Yan Tuo made a series of calls, delegating the manhunt and alerting the relevant transportation authorities to aid in the search. This baffling major case had gone from no leads to essentially solved within six hours of the initial report. The other officers riding along with him let out a collective sigh of relief.
Cao Yiman teased Sun Lei. “Little Sun, you’re doing great. You kept your cool the entire time today—a far cry from last time, when you hurled everywhere at the scene.”
Sun Lei was at a loss for words. Can’t you just compliment me without dredging up my embarrassment?
She sneaked a glance at the boss in the back seat and abruptly shifted the topic. “Tangyuan was the real impressive one. Surrounded by all those people, it didn’t show a hint of fear, just perched obediently on Captain Yan’s shoulder the whole way. So well-behaved!”
Bai Yiyi responded with modest parroting, stumbling over the words. “Sun… Lei… awe… some.”
Sun Lei’s dimples flashed instantly. “Hee hee, our Tangyuan is the awesome one!”
Watching the mutual flattery between the two of them, Yan Tuo felt a lingering weight in his chest but couldn’t help the slight upturn of his lips.
Bai Yiyi turned, caught sight of it, and blinked his beady little bird eyes. With sincere admiration bubbling up from his heart, he praised, “Yan… Tuo… awe… some. Yan… Tuo… awe… some.”
Yan Tuo’s smile grew a fraction warmer. He flicked a finger lightly against Bai Yiyi’s feathers, tsking with feigned annoyance but real fondness. “Tsk, what a little bootlicker.”
The bootlicker’s devoted fangirl jumped in right away to back him up. “Tangyuan’s spot on! Captain Yan is of course the most capable. How did you even spot that stray dog? Nobody else gave it a second thought or even remembered it. Without your follow-up questions, heaven knows how long it would’ve taken to identify this suspect.”
Yan Tuo didn’t hold back and spoke plainly. “Tangyuan deserves the credit. It saw the dog first and bolted after it without a word. I just followed along. Then I happened to ask about it, and… that’s how it went.”
Once the praise was done, it was time for the reprimand. He fixed the white dumpling with a stern look. “That said, next time something seems off, at least give a heads-up first. Charging off like that—what if I’d lost you? On operations, you follow command.”
The bird hadn’t even chirped yet when Sun Lei answered on its behalf. “Yep, Tangyuan gets it.” She sounded for all the world like the white dumpling’s owner and mouthpiece.
Cao Yiman, observing the interplay between the pair and the bird, finally burst out. “Come on, you two—with this back-and-forth, doesn’t anything strike you as off?”
Sun Lei looked puzzled. “What’s off about it?”
Cao Yiman was utterly exasperated. “Tangyuan can mimic a few phrases now, I’ll grant you that. But it’s just parroting sounds—it doesn’t grasp what you’re saying. You two are treating it like a real conversation. ‘Follow command’… give me a break.”
The words had barely left his mouth when the bird and its actual owner remained unfazed—but Sun Lei bristled immediately.
“How is that not understanding? Even people come in smart and dim varieties from birth, and birds aren’t all the same either. Some parrots can solve math problems, so why not Tangyuan? I’m telling you, Old Cao, don’t underestimate it. It’s hands down the smartest bird in the world. No rebuttals.”
Bai Yiyi hadn’t realized his fan was quite so fierce. Clearly, all those days of helping her film videos had forged a solid bond of camaraderie. He plucked words straight from the conversation and, in a high-pitched bird trill, lent his support.
“…Old Cao… dum… bo.”
Laughter erupted through the car, quietly sweeping away the somber mood.
Not long after returning to the station, Huang Anli—who’d been on the run for less than ten hours—was apprehended by officers on duty at the city high-speed rail station.
The team escorting him back had visited the Huangshaliao crime scene earlier that day. One would expect utter loathing for such a vicious killer, yet after delivering him to the interrogation room, they all fell silent, heads down as they went through the motions. There was no triumphant relief at capturing the criminal. If anything, they seemed even more dejected.
Sun Lei’s eyes were particularly red-rimmed after seeing him, brimming with barely contained tears.
Bai Yiyi was itching with curiosity, but the interrogation room was off-limits to him. He could only piece together what happened from the team’s expressions and their later exchanges.
The saying goes that even the pitiful have their hateful qualities—and the reverse holds true as well. The monster who’d spared not even a baby a few months old turned out to be pathetic in his own right.
After Da Hei bit his adopted daughter, Huang Anli stormed through the village demanding the dog’s owner. But in a place crawling with strays, who owned which hound? Li You stepped forward to cover the medical bills—a kindness that sowed disaster, as Huang Anli pegged him for the culprit.
Originally, it wasn’t such a big deal, especially with Li You’s sincere attitude. They meant to let it go.
But a few days ago, when the little girl developed her fear of wind and water, Huang Anli realized rabies shots weren’t a sure thing. Until the second dose, the risk of infection remained high.
That realization shattered him. Who didn’t know rabies was a death sentence once diagnosed—a hundred percent fatal?
His darling girl, whom he’d nurtured from palm-sized helplessness through every mess and milestone, just eight years old—lost forever over one careless bite?
Grief ignited rage. Huang Anli grabbed an axe and some bricks, bent on slaughtering the dog.
Creeping to Li You’s house under cover of midnight, he found no dog—but collided with the family’s third daughter, Li Xiaoqin, clipping tomatoes in the yard to sate a midnight craving.
Li Xiaoqin challenged the intruder boldly, but Huang Anli was mute and couldn’t explain. With an axe in hand, he looked menacing. The girl was no shrinking violet; she lunged at him clippers-first, aiming to strike before he could.
Fate was sealed in that moment.
In a panicked struggle, Huang Anli killed Li Xiaoqin. His savagery unleashed and terrified of exposure, he resolved to finish the job: wiping out the entire household.
Officers nabbed him as he and his ailing daughter prepared to board a train and flee. They’d missed the morning departure thanks to the child’s sudden convulsions. Half a day in the station clinic and a ticket change later, they waited as the train pulled in—only to meet their destiny instead.
Around eleven that evening, as Bai Yiyi trailed Yan Tuo home from work, he spotted Huang Anli’s adopted daughter from afar, curled sideways on a waiting-area bench. A man’s shirt swaddled her head and face completely—no features visible. Yet the fresh floral dress hugging her body, along with her neat leather shoes and white socks, whispered of the mass murderer’s hidden humanity.
That night, Bai Yiyi lay awake. His mind replayed the crimson inferno of the crime scene, then the solitary child on the bench, over and over. He tossed and turned, unable to close his eyes.
At last, once his owner had drifted off, Bai Yiyi shifted to human form, intending to browse online for distraction. But holed up alone in the bathroom, even the internet held no charm. His hackles stayed raised; something felt profoundly wrong everywhere.
Less than an hour in, he switched back to bird form and fluttered silently to his owner’s bed. Nestled against the pillow, attuned to his idol’s steady breaths, his spirit finally eased. Sleep claimed him before he knew it.
Early the next morning, Yan Tuo’s eyes snapped open to find the white dumpling slumbering peacefully beside him. He rubbed its soft belly—no stir. Still out cold.
He left it be, rising to wash up and head out. If the little guy stayed asleep, he could lounge at home all day. But the moment Yan Tuo cracked the door, out scampered the bird, blinking sleepily. Clearly underslept.
Shortly after arriving at the office, Cao Yiman popped in to report. Huang Anli’s situation was unique; on his daughter’s account, he sought medical parole.
The girl’s lungs were shutting down. Days at most. Hospital machines might ease her final stretch. With no other kin besides her adoptive father, humanitarian approval made sense—just a bit more work for the team, posting extra guards at the hospital for a few days.
Yan Tuo agreed without hesitation, though he stressed airtight security. Sympathy aside, the man’s crimes were monstrous. His daughter was innocent, true—but wasn’t Li You’s whole family even more so? Pity mustn’t dull their vigilance, lest he slip away and turn the whole thing into a farce.
Cao Yiman acknowledged and departed. Sun Lei darted in next with coffee—and a heads-up about high-voltage line maintenance nearby. City bureau power outage for two hours incoming; best prepare, back up files, avoid nasty surprises.
Yan Tuo thanked the thoughtful officer, settled at his desk, and got to work. Peace lasted mere minutes before another visitor arrived.
The man rapped lightly on the open glass door. “Captain Yan, good morning.”
Yan Tuo looked up, delight lighting his eyes. “Director Xu? What brings you here? Your presence honors the place.”
The visitor skipped straight business to nitpick instead. “Heh. ‘Uncle Xu’ to ‘Director Xu’? Feels awfully formal. I can’t get used to it—stick with the old habit.”
Evidently longtime acquaintances, Yan Tuo shot back. “Says the guy who started with ‘Captain Yan this’ and ‘Captain Yan that.’ Fair’s fair—you use my title, I call you uncle?”
Xu Qingru chuckled ruefully, nudged his glasses up out of habit, and lobbed a file folder lightly onto the desk. “Alright, my bad. Uncle’s sorry. Here—peace offering.”
Yan Tuo toyed with the string seal before tugging it free, eyebrows lifting in mild surprise. “Autopsy results for the Huangshaliao case? Pulled an all-nighter? That’s quick. Forgot to mention—the perp’s in custody. No need to rush.”
Xu Qingru teased, “You called me personally yourself—as your uncle, how could I dare slack off? Heh, delivering the documents is one thing, but I’ve heard all about your famous Divine Bird detective over at the Appraisal Center. Curiosity was killing me, so I rushed right over to check out your little pet.”
Yan Tuo chuckled at his words, temporarily setting aside the case file in his hand. He led Xu Qingru over to the birdcage, calling out Tangyuan’s name.
Strange enough, the little white dumpling—which had long since stopped fearing people—refused to respond today, no matter how many times he called. It stayed hidden inside the coconut shell, and judging by its silhouette, it even seemed to be trembling faintly.
