Mina's pet had a very simple name, just called Neapolitan, after the breed of the dog, which Mina casually used as the dog's name.
Neapolitan had a distinctive appearance, full of wrinkles, but Mina loved it because it was strong, fierce, and intimidating, yet it brought her a sense of security.
Life as a canary was lonely, but with Neapolitan, there was much more joy. One could say that Mina had come to regard Neapolitan as her best friend, this peculiar-looking companion was more reliable than humans, at least it didn't scheme or use others. To her, Neapolitan was far more dependable than any man…
Now, Neapolitan was finally in heat, ready to become a mother! Mina was excited, imagining how soon she would have several little Neapolitans…
Mina got up very early today, before eight o'clock, she was already out with Neapolitan, which was absolutely unprecedented for her, who usually slept until noon.
Despite playing mahjong until three in the morning and getting little sleep, Mina was still energetic.
Today was Neapolitan's second mating day.
Neapolitan was a very quiet dog, even in its current excited state, it walked silently ahead of Mina.
The pet hospital was close by, just across the next intersection. Mina couldn't help but quicken her pace.
The intersection wasn't busy, with few pedestrians and no traffic lights. Mina crossed the road without stopping, heading towards the other side. Neapolitan led the way, almost pulling Mina forward.
Just about to cross the intersection, Neapolitan suddenly changed direction and ran towards the left side of the road.
"Neapolitan!" Neapolitan was so strong, almost dragging Mina to the left as she called out in confusion. But Neapolitan seemed not to hear her at all, running faster and faster and even starting to growl.
Mina kept calling Neapolitan's name, pulling hard on the iron chain, trying to control it.
But Neapolitan didn't care about her efforts, running more joyfully. Mina could only run after it.
They quickly crossed the road and ran to the side of the road on the left, behind two large buildings, with a narrow alleyway between them. Then, Mina understood why Neapolitan had lost control because at the entrance of the alley stood a majestic black dog — a male Neapolitan Mastiff!
Mina knew a lot about Neapolitans and recognized at a glance that this black one wasn't purebred.
So, she shouted Neapolitan's name loudly, planted her feet firmly on the ground, and held tightly to Neapolitan's leash.
Hmph, she wouldn't let her Neapolitan mate with a mongrel!
The frenziedly running Neapolitan was restrained, growling unwillingly and struggling, trying to pounce on the black newcomer.
The black Neapolitan seemed very interested in Neapolitan, too. It shook its fur and swaggered towards Neapolitan.
"Get lost! Mongrel!" Mina shouted, trying to scare off the black Neapolitan.
Neapolitan became more agitated, watching the black dog approach, struggling madly. It didn't understand why its owner wouldn't let it have the freedom to love.
Finally, with a powerful leap, Neapolitan broke free, the leash flying out of Mina's hand!
Woof woof—
Both dogs excitedly howled and rushed towards each other!
"Damn it!" Mina stamped her foot in anger, looked around, and finally found a brick. She picked it up and threw it hard at the black Neapolitan, hitting it on the back. The dog yelped in pain and hurriedly fled into the alley.
Neapolitan, seeing its mate run, followed eagerly, and Mina ran a few steps trying to grab the leash on the ground but missed, letting Neapolitan escape.
The two dogs, one after the other, ran into the dark, narrow alley.
Mina cursed and reluctantly followed. The alley's center had a concrete drainage ditch, still with some dirty water from a recent rain. Mina didn't care and stepped right in, chasing after them.
The dogs ran fast, Mina shouting and chasing. Her shouts, the barking, and the splashing of dirty water echoed in the alley, colliding...
Bang!
Focused only on Neapolitan ahead, Mina didn't notice something slippery underfoot and fell backward, landing hard.
She lay dazed for several seconds before realizing what happened, reaching for the back of her head in severe pain.
Luckily, there was no blood. She sighed in relief, tried to lift her sore neck, and then saw where she had fallen.
Then, she vomited.
She hadn't fallen into dirty water but... bloodied water! Blood mixed with water, giving off a sinister hue, with chicken feathers, duck feathers, and animal innards floating on top — utterly filthy! The smell of blood and decay filled her nostrils. Mina vomited and cried, moving her legs and feet, trying to stand up.
She couldn't care less about Neapolitan now. Her only thought was to leave this hellish place!
Finally, she managed to sit up.
Biting her lip, she braced her hands on the edges of the drainage ditch, trying hard to stand.
But just then, she heard a terrifying roar!
The sound was chaotic and intense, chilling to the bone — the barking of a pack of dogs!
She trembled and looked back, towards where Neapolitan had disappeared, to see a pack of wild, menacing dogs, at least ten, barking madly and charging towards her!
There was no doubt, these ferocious dogs had smelled the blood on her, ready to tear her to shreds!
Ah!
Mina screamed, her adrenaline surging, and she leaped up, turning and running back the way she came!
As she moved, the pack behind her chased even more frantically.
"Help! Somebody help!"
Mina ran as if possessed, her hair loose, not caring about her shoes, just running, running, running!
She had run about ten meters when she froze, her body statue-like in mid-run.
The black Neapolitan, the one she had called a mongrel, was calmly walking towards her from the front…
The black Neapolitan Mastiff stopped about five or six meters away from Mina. Then, it raised its wrinkled face, arched its back, and silently glared at this human who had attacked it with a brick.
Mina was well aware of the Neapolitan's attack power. At this moment, she stared blankly at its bared, sharp teeth, forgetting to scream for help.
The pack of dogs behind her was getting closer, and Mina's face was filled with despair.
Then, the black Neapolitan leapt into the air, drawing a sinister arc, and lunged straight at Mina's throat!
"Help me..."
Only then did Mina scream with all her might, instinctively raising her arm to protect her throat.
Before her scream could fade, the Neapolitan's powerful impact had already knocked her down completely, and both human and dog tumbled into the blood-filled drainage ditch. As she fell, Mina clearly saw a large chunk of flesh being easily torn from her arm by the Neapolitan.
At the same time, the dog pack had pounced on her, stimulated by the fresh blood, and began tearing at Mina's body on the ground.
Mina struggled desperately on the ground, trying to stand up, but a large dog easily snapped her delicate ankle.
"Neapolitan! Neapolitan..."
In these last moments of life, she called not for the men who had fallen at her feet, not for Chu Xuelin, not for Old Li, but for... Neapolitan.
A woman's struggle against a pack of ferocious dogs was intense. The sounds of flesh tearing, bones breaking, dirty water splashing, and the screams of humans and dogs merged into a ghastly symphony, echoing in the narrow, deep alley.
Two minutes later, a bloodied Mina gradually lost her strength, while the dog pack continued to rip apart her body, her gaze becoming scattered.
At the far end of the alley, a grey Neapolitan Mastiff was frantically running towards the scene.
Seeing this, Mina's now indistinct face showed a faint smile.
Then, the black Neapolitan's jaws clamped down on her slender throat...
After nearly ten minutes of being torn apart by wild dogs, Mina's life ended in a tragic manner, leaving a gruesome scene.
The entire city of Binnan was in turmoil. While mourning the tragic death of this unfortunate woman, a campaign to eradicate street dogs erupted throughout the city, resulting in the execution of over thirty stray dogs within three days...
"Ma Tian, don't you think there's something really wrong with this case?"
In the alley where Mina died, two police officers stood at the spot of her death. The chubby officer, in plain clothes, silently smoked. The speaking officer, tall and skinny like a bamboo pole, stood in his crisp uniform, his sharp features giving him a commanding presence.
The chubby officer, called Ma Tian, twisted his thick neck and squinted, asking, "Like what?"
The skinny officer looked around the alley and said, "First, there's no food factory or poultry slaughterhouse nearby, so where did these chicken and duck carcasses come from? It's too far-fetched to say they were brought here by the wild dogs. Why would they choose to gather here?"
The chubby officer pondered and said, "Because it's quiet here, away from disturbances. Wild dogs don't like noisy places when eating."
"Even so, isn't it too coincidental for so many dogs to gather in this secluded place at the same time?" the skinny officer mused.
"What do you mean?" the chubby officer glanced at him and asked flatly.
"I suspect it was man-made!" the skinny officer said seriously. "Someone must have deliberately lured these dogs here!"
The chubby officer was taken aback but remained silent.
"And the second point. The forensic report says the fatal wound was on the throat, and it was caused by a large, fierce dog, like a Neapolitan Mastiff, not a common dog!"
The chubby officer grunted and said, "Didn't they say that Mina's pet dog was also a Neapolitan Mastiff, in heat, and that the tragedy occurred because she lost control of her dog on the way to the pet hospital?"
"That's right, but the reason for her dog's loss of control must be due to another Neapolitan Mastiff, the one that killed Mina. Think about it, a Neapolitan Mastiff, even a mixed breed, is valuable in our country. How could it mysteriously appear on the street? Where is its owner? And why haven't we found any trace of that dog after searching for so long? So, there's an 80% chance that the owner of that Neapolitan Mastiff is involved in this tragedy..."
"Alright, keep it down..." The chubby officer looked around nervously and stopped the skinny officer's speech. "You're new here, and I want to advise you, some things are better kept to yourself. Don't talk recklessly."
"But why?" the skinny officer asked, puzzled. "With such obvious clues, why not investigate further?"
Just as the skinny officer was getting agitated, a phone rang. The chubby officer glanced at him and answered, "Hello, Old Li? What's up? Are you coming to audit our station? Haha..."
Talking on the phone, the chubby officer gestured to the skinny officer and walked towards the police car parked near the alley entrance.
The skinny officer took one last look at the alley and followed reluctantly...
The case was never reopened and was concluded as an accidental tragedy. The story of a woman from out of town, dismembered by wild dogs, buzzed for a while before gradually fading from people's memories.
But the assertive skinny officer couldn't let it go, haunted by it until he met Mu Zi much later...
"Although that alley is a gathering place for stray dogs, isn't it too odd for a black Neapolitan Mastiff to appear there?"
On a certain street in Binnan City, a Harley-Davidson sped by, with Ouyang Liuse clinging tightly to Mu Zi's waist, her black hair flying in the wind.
"So, the black Neapolitan Mastiff must die," Mu Zi's voice, though muffled by the helmet, was chillingly cold.
Ouyang Liuse paused, then pressed her face against his sturdy back and murmured, "You mean, this Neapolitan Mastiff, bought for ten thousand cash, must die?"
The motorcycle slowed down and stopped under the shade of a roadside tree.
Mu Zi sat up straight on the bike and said meaningfully, "You're not just worried about the money, are you?"
"Yes," Ouyang Liuse's voice revealed a hint of desolation. "Haven't you developed even a little affection for it in these past few days?"
"Sometimes, we are cruel," Mu Zi said solemnly, removing his helmet and turning to look into Ouyang Liuse's watery eyes. "But it's necessary. If the black Neapolitan Mastiff doesn't die, the police will suspect."
"I'm sad," Ouyang Liuse said tremulously.
"Me too," Mu Zi replied gravely. "But just think about how despicable and hateful that woman was, and if she had lived, how many more terrible things she would
have done. Then you'll feel that the black Neapolitan Mastiff's death is justified!"
Saying this, he pointed towards the roadside forest as if his finger was a sharp sword.
"What's that?" Ouyang Liuse asked, puzzled.
Mu Zi didn't answer; he silently locked the motorcycle and pulled Ouyang Liuse's arm, heading in the direction he pointed.
They passed through rows of lush camphor trees to a green meadow filled with unknown wildflowers, the air sweet with their fragrance.
Ouyang Liuse followed Mu Zi, puzzled, across the meadow to a waist-high clump of grass.
Mu Zi parted the grass, revealing a small grave with a bunch of white wildflowers fluttering in the wind on its tip.
"Is it Neapolitan's?" Ouyang Liuse asked curiously.
"Yes. Before we leave Binnan City, let's say a proper goodbye to him."
"What I'm wondering is, when did you manage to do all this?" Ouyang Liuse looked at him, puzzled, unable to fathom when this man, who had always been by her side, had found the time to bury Neapolitan.
"Last night. After you fell asleep," Mu Zi said calmly, pulling out a stack of joss paper from his backpack...
The thin sheets of paper intertwined passionately with the greedy flames, quickly turning into scattered ash dancing in the sky, then disappearing.
It was time to leave, Binnan City, goodbye…