Chapter 11: Like Father, Like Daughter—Charge, Crow!

Zhou Lin arrived at the main gate of the Kelly Biological Research Center with Xiaoman and Blade. His team members—Lin Nan, Gu Ye, Jiang Qi, and Du Lang—were already assembled.

"Captain Zhou," Lin Nan said immediately, "the Kelly Biological Research Center does not have a project for cloning animals in its business scope. This is an illegal operation. Director Zhang has approved the search warrant."

Zhou Lin nodded. "Xiaoman and Blade, wait in the car. The four of you, come with me!"

Blade let out a bark, and Xiaoman translated, "Daddy, Brother Blade says he can smell where the cloned animals are being kept! He wants to join the operation!"

Zhou Lin looked at Xiaoman. "You, alone..."

"Don't worry, Daddy, Xiaoman will be a good girl and wait in the car," Xiaoman promised, showing her resolve. "Daddy, hurry and take Brother Blade to save Momma Dahuang!"

"Alright!" Zhou Lin knew she was a smart, lovely, and trustworthy child.

Xiaoman watched as the five of them and the dog entered the Kelly Research Center with the search warrant. She pressed her face against the window, scanning the surroundings.

A flock of crows flew over and landed on the roof of the car.

"Little Man, why are you here?"

"Momma Dahuang was adopted and brought here. The little Bichon Frise told me this is a cloning center. Daddy and the others went in to save her. Crows, do you have any news?"

"Little Man, wait here. We’ll go scout it out right now."

Xiaoman watched as the crows flapped their wings and flew off, only to return a short while later. They circled around her, squawking incessantly.

"Captain Zhou and the others found Dahuang. She’s about to give birth, and they’ve called a vet over."

"Also, there’s an undeveloped plot of land behind the research center where many animal carcasses are buried."

"They are all failed experiments from the Kelly Biological Research Center. It’s truly pitiful."

Xiaoman clenched her fists. Daddy said this was against the law; these people were truly hateful.

"Little Man, your mother used to work here, too..."

Xiaoman felt as if she had been struck by lightning. Did her mother research these things too? But her mother was a kind person. She was always so gentle with Xiaoman, teaching her how to rescue and love small animals. Xiaoman could not believe her mother would engage in such illegal scientific research. Her little face clouded over with sorrow.

When she saw the vet from the Stray Animal Shelter arrive, she followed them inside. One of the vets, Wang Feng, recognized her from when she helped treat the little Bichon Frise. He asked curiously, "Xiaoman, how did you know the little Bichon was a clone?"

How could she explain this? Daddy had said that animal testimony could not be used as evidence in court. Of course, Xiaoman couldn't tell him the truth. "Uncle Wang, the paw pad markings on this Bichon are exactly the same as Xixi, who died at the shelter last week. Daddy says there are no two identical leaves in the world, unless it’s a clone..."

Wang Feng’s eyes lit up. "They say a tiger father has no dog for a daughter. Your observational skills are so sharp at such a young age; when you grow up, you might even be more capable than Captain Zhou!"

Xiaoman was happy. "I want to be a police officer, just like Daddy..."

As she spoke, she seemed to hear the pained howling of Momma Dahuang. "Uncle Wang, hurry and save Dahuang! She might be having a difficult labor."

"Let's go!" Wang Feng’s white lab coat fluttered as he hurried off.

Xiaoman followed them to the laboratory. There were many different breeds of cats and dogs here—some experiments were halfway through, others were complete. The sounds of whimpering and moaning were constant. The police forensics team had already arrived to take photographs and collect evidence.

Dahuang was restless in her cage, her stomach hurting intensely. She couldn't give birth, sometimes howling in a frenzy, other times whimpering in pain. Wang Feng was a bit nervous and hesitant to approach; he wanted to assist with the delivery but was afraid of being bitten. Who knew if the research center had experimented on Dahuang?

Xiaoman rushed to the front of the cage. "Momma Dahuang, Xiaoman is here! Uncle Wang can help you deliver your puppies safely. Don't be afraid!"

As soon as Dahuang saw her, she burst into tears. "Little Man, I thought I was coming here to live the good life, but I ended up in a research center instead. The city is full of traps; I want to go back to the countryside... Vet, hurry!"

Xiaoman stroked Dahuang’s furry head with her small hands, and Dahuang quickly calmed down. Wang Feng, surprised by her ability, stepped forward.

"It’s born... one... two... three... Wow, Momma Dahuang, you're amazing! Four puppies!" Xiaoman clapped her hands.

Dahuang was very weak. "Little Man, thank you. If it weren't for you, my babies might have..."

"We're good friends!" Xiaoman smiled, then inadvertently caught Wang Feng’s gaze. She quickly added, "Uncle Wang, dogs are good friends to us humans!"

Wang Feng didn't think much of it. "Dahuang has worked hard. Four little male puppies. Come, drink some milk to restore your strength and nutrition."

Dahuang drank greedily, her mouth covered in milk powder. "Little Man, give the puppies some names!"

Xiaoman looked at the four little puppies. "How about Huang Dashuai, Huang Ershuai, Huang Sanshuai, and Huang Sishuai?"

Dahuang let out a satisfied belch. "A dog that doesn't want to be a general isn't a good cook."

"Those are great names!" Wang Feng and the others prepared to transport Dahuang and the puppies back to the stray animal shelter. Zhou Lin had invested in expanding the shelter, which could now provide for their daily needs.

After waving goodbye to them, Xiaoman really wanted to see the place where her mother used to work. But where was her mother's laboratory?

Just as she was about to go looking, Zhou Lin arrived with Lin Nan and Blade.

"Xiaoman, how did you get in here?" Zhou Lin’s expression was serious. After all, this was a crime scene laboratory; there were some things that weren't suitable for a child to see.

"Daddy, the crows told me that Momma used to work here, and I just wanted to..." She tugged gently on Zhou Lin’s sleeve.

Lin Nan checked her tablet. "Captain Zhou, Wang Wen did indeed work at the Kelly Laboratory a year ago."

Seeing how much information the little girl had gathered from the animals, Zhou Lin took her small hand in his large, rough palm. "Let's go take a look together."

Xiaoman looked at the empty laboratory, imagining her mother working there. She must have been gentle with the test subjects, too!

Suddenly, a voice shouted, "Our animal cloning experiments were all done by Wang Wen."

It was Cheng Lu, the head of the research center. He was an elderly man with graying hair; he was already handcuffed and under arrest, but his eyes gleamed with malice.

Gu Ye found a stack of files signed by Wang Wen in a filing cabinet and handed them to Zhou Lin. "Captain Zhou, the signature dates are from a year ago."

No! That’s not true!

Xiaoman’s eyes welled up. Her mother was the kindest and gentlest person; she often rescued injured stray animals with her. How could she possibly have engaged in something as illegal as cloning experiments?

Momma, where are you?

If only you could suddenly appear beside me and deny it yourself—how wonderful that would be!