Chapter 115

Lu Weiguo didn’t explain that Lijian wasn’t a military dog. He glanced at Shi Tingyu and, without hesitation, agreed to help, albeit feeling somewhat uneasy about her safety.

Shi Tingyu said, “I’ll go with you. We’ll just lock the compartment door.”

Upon hearing this, the people outside knew things were settled. The owner of the lost money quickly expressed his gratitude.

“Thank you very much, Comrades,” he said sincerely.

Lu Weiguo wasted no words. He put the leash on Lijian, this time without the muzzle.

Shi Tingyu was familiar with this process. Seeing Lu Weiguo leading Lijian, she asked the owner to let Lijian sniff the bag containing the money.

After the money was lost, the owner didn’t dare leave his luggage unattended; he carried it with him. He took out his cloth bag and handed it to Shi Tingyu.

To be honest, with Lijian being so large, he didn’t dare approach it.

Shi Tingyu took the cloth bag, opened it, and saw inside a pair of men’s blue underwear. Her mouth twitched involuntarily.

It’s hard to say if this elder brother was too unrefined or just didn’t consider her a stranger.

Not only did Shi Tingyu see the underwear, but everyone nearby did as well.

Feeling embarrassed, the owner stuffed the underwear hastily into his pocket.

Lu Weiguo frowned, handed the leash to Shi Tingyu, took her bag, and placed it in front of Lijian.

Lijian turned its head away in apparent disdain.

Onlookers: …

Is this dog really that smart?

Shi Tingyu stroked its head gently and said, “Good boy, Lijian. Sniff around and help find this person’s money.”

Under Shi Tingyu’s soothing touch, Lijian relaxed a bit, sniffed a couple of times, and then turned away.

Lu Weiguo returned the cloth bag to the owner, locked the compartment door, and led Lijian and the crowd outside.

Lijian led the way, occasionally sniffing, with curious onlookers following behind.

Comrade Li, the die-hard fan of Zhuifeng, was at the forefront.

They went from the sleeper to the hard seat, where passengers, seeing a soldier with a dog and a group of people, remained seated, not daring to move.

They knew these people were there to help find the money.

When the man in front discovered the missing money, he shouted so loudly that everyone heard him.

Because of the theft, they also learned there was a thief on the train and tightened their grip on their belongings.

And now, with less than ten minutes until the next stop, if they couldn’t find the thief, he would get off at the next station, making it nearly impossible to catch him.

That’s why they came knocking on Lu Weiguo’s door in the early hours.

Having a military dog’s help would speed things up.

Lijian sniffed carefully, not letting anyone in the seats escape its attention.

Some people complained, but whenever they did, the owner would look pitiful, and their discontent would subside.

Most people were still simple-hearted; seeing this, they could only suppress their dissatisfaction.

Halfway through Lijian’s search, a trembling voice from a girl being sniffed said, “Does this dog bite people? Hurry up and go, hurry up and go.”

At this moment, a simple-looking man next to the window stood up and said, “Comrade, this dog looks so scary, don’t scare the girl. Everyone in this carriage hasn’t moved, so you’re wasting time here. Go and look in the next carriage.”

His words struck a chord with some people afraid of dogs.

To be honest, they sympathized with someone losing their money, but this sympathy couldn’t compare to their own safety.

Comrade Li heard them say the dog was scaring people and couldn’t help but interject, “Look carefully, Zhuifeng is a military dog. Military dogs are trained; how could they bite people at will? Besides, there’s a comrade soldier with us, so there won’t be any problems.”

Shi Tingyu took a deep breath, signaling the fan of Zhuifeng to remain silent.

Different people have different positions; it’s normal for some to be afraid of dogs.

At this moment, the owner came forward, tears and snot streaming, lamenting how hard-earned his money was and how he’d saved it to return home and honor his parents, only to lose it on the train.

Those who had just been helping out softened their hearts again.

Shi Tingyu glanced sideways at the simple man who had spoken earlier. Seeing that no one echoed his words due to the owner’s sobbing, his face momentarily showed nervousness.

Shi Tingyu, using the motion of petting Lijian’s head, whispered to Lu Weiguo with her back to the simple man, “The man who spoke by the window just now is suspicious.”

Lu Weiguo had already noticed.

Most other passengers were wary of the dog and just wanted things to move quickly. Only the man by the window had suggested they look in the next carriage.

With less and less time until their stop, by the time they searched the next carriage, they’d almost be at their destination. How would they find him if he got off with a crowd?

With a prime suspect in mind, Lu Weiguo led Lijian towards the man.

Not waiting for Lu Weiguo and the others to get close, the man suddenly opened the window beside him and tried to climb out.

Even on today’s steam locomotives, which averaged around fifty kilometers per hour, not particularly fast, jumping out would still result in serious injury, if not death.

But they were nearing the station platform, and the train was already slowing down.

The longer he hung outside, the safer it would be for him to jump off.

The hard seats on either side of the aisle were divided into two-person and three-person sections.

The man was seated in the innermost seat of the three-person section, confident he could climb out the window before they reached him.

However, as soon as he cracked open the window, Lijian lunged forward, grabbing his arm in one leap.

This startled the three passengers across and the two beside him, who quickly jumped up and moved away.

Seats emptied as they fled, making it easier for Lijian to handle the situation.

The man remained composed, wearing a thick coat that softened the bite on his arm. Unlike others bitten by dogs who’d try to hit the dog with their free arm, he forcefully pushed the train window wide open.

With an emergency exit window, he could still make a run for it.

His plan seemed sound, but Lu Weiguo wouldn’t give him the chance.

Releasing Lijian’s leash, Lu Weiguo locked onto the man. With lightning speed, he grabbed the man’s neck from behind, pressing his head against the window frame.

The man struggled but couldn’t break free.

Lijian released his arm, and Lu Weiguo pulled him back.

The man cried out in pain, shouting, “Let go of me! Who are you to arrest me?”

At this point, Lijian dragged out a bag from under the man’s seat with its paw, rummaging through it and finding a stack of money in the lining.

The owner of the lost money, no longer afraid of the dog, rushed over and started inspecting the bag.

His surname was Chen, and he’d written his name on the money with a pencil.

Actually, they didn’t need to check the name; just seeing the money, he knew it was his.

To prove it, he showed the small writing on the money to everyone. “This is my money. I wrote my name on it. Look.”

The man, now restrained by Lu Weiguo, weakened as the stolen money was recovered.

This was a clear case of catching the culprit red-handed. Railway police arrived and took the man away.

Just as everyone started to relax, a figure quietly moved to the open window.

Surprisingly, it was the girl who had been afraid of the dog earlier.