493 A Psalm of Life (2/2)

Famous arrived at Cage 3.

The German Shepherd in Cage 3 was old. It was at least 14 years old, its teeth were rotting, and it looked like it may pass on at any moment.

It left half of its food in the bowl. Losing its appetite was a bad sign.

Famous tentatively approached it and looked through the cage. It moved its nose, but did not open its eyes. Even the instinct of protecting its food had disappeared.

The dog food inside the bowl—some vegetables and meatballs—was soggy, the soft textures perfect for its teeth.

The German Shepherd in Cage 4 was the youngest, at about eight years old.

Famous was startled to see that half of its back right leg was gone, but below its knee was a prosthetic.

The technology of the prosthetic was mediocre, a knock-off version of the legitimate product. The prosthetic was handmade and stuck to the knee with tape and bands, the curved stainless steel serving as a brace.

It vigilantly watched at Famous and barked.

When their eyes met, Famous saw its past.

Its owner gave it a foreign name, X.

Just like Luo Luo, X was not from the Binhai City Police Dog Training Base. X was from the border of Guangdong and Guangxi, it was a border defense police dog.

It was born and raised in the Southwest Police Dog Training Base, and received outstanding grades. When X graduated with honors, it was assigned to the border armed police, which had the most rigid requirements for police dogs.

Lightning, the character Famous played in the movie, was a border defense police dog. Famous didn't know what an actual border defense police dog looked like, it just acted how the script instructed.

The climate of the subtropical rainforest was unimaginably harsh, especially in the rainy season. The air was hot and humid. X could barely run a few steps before running out of breath.

The mission that X took was the most dangerous it ever had, part of the anti-narcotics task force. Not only were the foreign criminals armed with handguns, but they also had grenades and automatic rifles, so X had to wear a flak jacket for dogs.

During training, X fainted several times from a heat stroke. After being put on an intravenous drip for a few days, it resumed the rigorous training.

It was so humid, its skin was red and tender from being under the flak jacket for so long. X also got eczema, so ts skin was swollen and inflamed on top of its mosquito bites.

After almost each task, a layer of X's skin would peel off, so its hair was ugly and patchy.

X's owner felt bad seeing it like this, so he took it to the doctor frequently. He bought Chinese herbal medicine and applied it to the parts of X's body that were rough and inflamed.

In its memory, Famous saw almost all the police dogs in the border police force suffering from the heat. German Shepherds were not suited to live in the subtropical rainforest. However, they engaged in combat in the border areas for generations to preserve the peace and tranquility.

Near the garrison of the border defense police force, there was a hill where a police dog cemetery was set up by the guards.

Through X's memory, Famous saw its owner take it to the cemetery.

It was a cloudy weekend. Almost all the police officers that were not on duty that day, arrived at the cemetery to attend the funeral of a mine-clearing dog who had died during a mission.

There were dozens of tombstones in the cemetery. Held by its owner, X saw on a tombstone, The Tomb of the Police Dog, Zai Zai. It also said that Zai Zai was a German Shepherd and that it Served for the Public Cause in the 528 Project.

The tombstone was clean. There was a beige dandelion growing from beneath the tombstone and when the breeze blew, the white pappi flew in all directions.

The grave was dug, prepared for the dog that was to be buried today. The tombstone read, The Tomb of the Police Dog, Mi Xiu. It said that Mi Xiu was a Labrador Retriever and that it Served for the Public Cause in the Mine-clearing Mission.

The owner of the dog placed a small urn into the grave, crying. The armed police officers shoveled dirt into the grave until it was filled.

”Salute!”

In the solemn atmosphere, the executive officer issued an order, and the armed police officers stood upright to salute.

These armed police officers weren't very good at expressing their feelings, but the salute was their way of showing how they would miss their deceased companion.

The casualty rate of police dogs in the southwest border areas were alarmingly high due to the harsh climate and brutality of their enemies, only a few police dogs were able to retire normally. One day, the misfortune finally befell X.

It was in a major anti-narcotics task force that the public didn't know about. Almost all the police officers joined the task force to catch the foreign criminals.

The criminals would not surrender easily, resulting in a fierce battle that broke out in the jungle.

During the battle, a grenade was thrown near X's owner, its owner unaware of the danger. Having previously received training in explosives, X instinctively rushed to its owner and pushed him aside.

The grenade exploded. X lost a leg, but its owner only suffered minor injuries.

At the recognition ceremony, X was rewarded for its admirable deeds, just like Lighting did in the script, but it retired afterwards because it couldn't continue with missions.

Both Luo Luo and Storm retired when their owners did and waited for their owners to pick them up, but X had retired before its owner.

X's owner was a resident of Binhai City. He brought X back to his hometown and placed it in Fu Tao's police dog nursing home. He would come back for X when he retired from the police force.

Famous believed that X's owner would absolutely come back to pick it up because they were comrades who had shared a near-death experience, nothing could keep them apart. Besides, Binhai City had no regulations that forbid raising German Shepherds. Famous felt bad, it believed X would do a better job portraying Lightning.

X's prosthetic was made by a carpenter Fu Tao hired.

In spite of its disability, its injuries, and its ugly hair, X still maintained its vigilance and pride. X had the right to feel proud, its crude prosthetic was as dazzling as a medal.

Though it had left the frontline, it was still a warrior.

Squatting on the ground, Famous raised its right paw to salute X.