Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

  Weaving through the early morning traffic, the police car was heading to Binhai Studio. When Zhang Zian heard the news from Liu, he was surprised that the dogs retired from the police dog training base could actually end up being slaughtered. However, after thinking carefully, he was puzzled. Why would the base make such a cruel decision? Just to prevent the genes of police dogs from being easily accessible? He asked Liu about this issue.

  Liu had been upset about this matter for a long time. Right now, he gradually calmed himself down. He denied Zhang Zian’s guess and said, “This is only a very minor reason. It’s a long story. German Shepherds are not the only breed for police dogs. There are also Labradors, Springer Spaniels, Malinois, Rottweilers, etc. Different types of dogs have their own strengths. Some are good at tracking blood, others are good at guarding and anti-rioting, and some are good for finding narcotics. Their natures are also different. Some have a gentle nature, while others are more ferocious…”


  As a pet shop owner, Zhang Zian knew the detailed characteristics of these dogs, but he did not interrupt Liu, letting him continue.

  Liu explained, “The reason why the base decides to slaughter retired dogs is firstly, to prevent the outflow of genes; secondly, to reduce the burden on the base; thirdly, and the most importantly, relatively ferocious breeds such as German Shepherds and Rottweilers, although they were eliminated during training, they had received professional biting training and only listened to the commands of their owners. Whoever their target is, they will not loosen up their grip once they bite the target. Once these dogs go into the public and are exploited by bad people, it’s likely that they will threaten the safety of people’s lives and property.”


  It was not until then did Zhang Zian realize that, unreasonable as it may sound, the decision of the base to slaughter the dogs made sense. A knife bears no harm itself, whether it will hurts people depends entirely on who’s holding the knife. This was also the case with ferocious dogs. Having been trained professionally, they were more violent than ordinary dogs. If they were used by bad guys to deal with ordinary people or the police, the consequences would be unimaginable.

  Liu added, “Of course, we understand this. Zhang, although we like police dogs, we know that human lives are more valuable, and we will not put the life of police dogs above humans. Although we secretly sell the dogs, we only dare to sell meek dog breeds such as Labradors or Springer Spaniels. As for large dogs as Malinois, German Shepherds, and Rottweiler, we can’t sell them recklessly unless we know the buyers very well. Also, it’s not easy to sell these large dogs. Raising large and unmanageable dogs has been banned in many big cities nowadays.”


  Zhang Zian did not continue to ask about the fate of these large and unmanageable dogs that were hard to sell. The answer was very obvious.

  In this respect, the decision of the police dog training base, who would rather slaughter the dogs rather than sell them to the public, seemed justifiable because a human life was greater than everything else. The likelihood of violence in large-sized dogs that had received professional biting training was unimaginable to ordinary people, and these dogs could not fall into the hands of dangerous criminals.

  He turned his head to look at Famous, who was silent, keeping its head down. Famous was facing a dilemma. It didn’t want an understudy who may be injured or even die for it. But if it refused using an understudy, then those dogs were destined to die; if it agreed to an understudy, it might actually save those dogs.

  Zhang Zian couldn’t imagine the pain Famous was experiencing. It must have felt like being torn apart. But he couldn’t make a decision for it either.

  “Liu, what is the standard for elimination?” He remembered a question. “Normally, there is no big difference among German Shepherds, right? Why can some German Shepherds pass while others are retired?”


  Liu said, “No, there are huge differences. Just like with the intelligence of humans, the intelligence and personalities also vary widely among the same kind of dog. Some dogs are clever, and they respond very excitedly to stimulation. They can master the subjects of obedience—sitting, lying, standing, accompanying, holding objects in mouths, etc. in about 20 days. On the contrary, some dogs fail to grasp these things after more than two months, so they can only be eliminated. Many new trainers blame themselves for their poor teaching, and are unable to move on from the failure.”


  Zhang Zian understood that it must be very upsetting for a novice trainer to see that a dog that they had trained for more than two months was eliminated in the end.

  Before they knew it, they had arrived at the Binhai Studio. Before Zhang Zian got out of the car, Liu once again begged him, “Zhang, please tell the director, if possible, please buy a few more dogs. Although they didn’t become police dogs, they were still trained for two months. None of us can bear to watch them die. It may not be a bad idea even if they become understudies.”


  Instead of giving a conclusive answer, Zhang Zian just said, “Okay, I understand.” He took Famous and the two police dogs out of the car. Standing at the spacious gate of the Studio, he watched Liu drive away.

  “How’s that, Famous? You still don’t want to have an understudy?” He squatted, looking squarely in Famous’s eyes.

  Famous was silent. It was wondering all sorts of things. What would its angel—the angel who had liked children and animals, who had traveled all over Africa and devoted herself to philanthropy, who, before she died, was still concerned about the hungry children—decide to do? It made its decision.

  “I want the understudies,” it said succinctly. “But I will not let them put themselves in danger for me.”


  Zhang Zian realized that it wanted the director to buy the dogs, but did not want to put the dogs in any danger. It would fight for the chance to do the dangerous stunts in front of camera. Buying those dogs was just a way to keep them alive.

  “OK, I got it, but do you know what you’re doing, Famous?” He watched it with concern. “You should know that not all dangers can be avoided. For example, it’s like if you could predict that the Earth would explode in five seconds, you still couldn’t change it. You understand?” He feared that it had too much confidence in itself and considered itself capable of escaping all danger. However, after all, Famous was not Galaxy.

  “I see. I do not regret it,” Famous stated firmly.

  Zhang Zian nodded and didn’t add anything more. He had always felt that Famous was very mature, like an adult who usually remained composed and was occasionally passionate, but who rarely lost his mind due to their impulsiveness.

  When he entered the studio, he found Feng Xuan. Carrying a thermos, Feng Xuan commanded the set designers to set up the props and sets to be used in today’s shooting. He corrected them occasionally until the set designers’ work was identical to what he saw in his imagination.

  “Director Feng, do you have some time? I want to tell you something,” Zhang Zian greeted him.

  Feng Xuan told him to wait for a moment. After telling the set designers to continue working themselves, saying that he would come back to check later, Feng Xuan waved to Zhang Zian, and the two of them went to a secluded corner.

  “Is this about the understudies?” Feng Xuan’s guess was accurate. “I went back home to consider it yesterday. I also discussed with my wife a bit. If you and Famous insist on not using understudies…”


  Before going to bed last night, Feng Xuan wore pajamas and leaned on the head of his bed. As usual, he told his wife about the shooting for that day; what funny things had occurred, and who had made what mistakes, and the like. When he told her about the lunchbox guy who gave a lunchbox full of dog droppings to Nie Yuan, his wife laughed so hard that she was almost convulsing on the bed. And when he talked about Famous and Zhang Zian, who did not seem to want an understudy, his wife seriously thought for a while. She also disapproved of using an understudy. Clearly, the performance level of those dogs was nowhere close to Famous’s, and dogs were not humans. Human understudies understood the risks they would face, and they took on those risks based on their own discretion in exchange for compensation. But the stand-in dogs would be very poor.

  Convinced by his wife, Feng Xuan intended to listen to Zhang Zian that day. If Zhang Zian still insisted on not using understudies, then Feng Xuan wouldn’t force him. The 1986 version of Journey to the West had become a classic even though three different actors had played Monk Xuanzang. If Famous was injured and exited the film midway, he would come up with another solution.

  “No!” Zhang Zian quickly interrupted him, “I also thought about it, and I’ve decided it’s better to have understudies! Not only for Famous, but also for Red Dragon, Prince and the other important supporting roles, it would be best if each of them could have one or two understudies!”


  Feng Xuan looked at him, speechless. Overnight, their stances seemed to have been completely reversed.

  “Are you sure?” Feng Xuan asked, puzzled. Although the funding for the crew was tight, it was only relatively limited compared to other crews. He had a sufficient budget to buy a few dogs, but was doubtful about Zhang Zian’s sudden change in attitude…


  “I’m sure.” Zhang Zian nodded. “Director Feng, inform me if you plan to go to the police dog training base, I will accompany you to pick out the dogs!” His thought was, since everyone could benefit from buying dogs from the police dog training base, why should he waste this opportunity? This was a movie about dogs, why not take some dogs from the base to the crew and help them survive?