Solving the case: Combining the police dog's olfactory genes at the beginning

"Where to go now?"

"Let's go out for a walk; I've been cooped up in the office all day."

Luo Fei took out his car keys.

"I heard a new coffee shop has opened by the river."

The car drove out of the municipal bureau compound and merged into the evening traffic.

"Actually, you could participate in more cases."

Chen Xuanran said.

"With your abilities."

"Shhh."

Luo Fei suddenly interrupted him, his eyes fixed on the rearview mirror.

"Isn't there something wrong with that bicycle?"

In the rearview mirror, a dilapidated old bicycle was wobbling as it veered off the sidewalk. The rider was a dark-skinned man, his clothes filthy, as if he had just come from a construction site.

"careful!"

Chen Xuanran shouted.

Luo Fei jerked the steering wheel, but the bicycle still grazed the car door and crashed into him, making a screeching metallic scraping sound.

"Hold!"

Chen Xuanran got out of the car.

"My new car!"

The cyclist fell to the ground and scraped his elbow.

He hurriedly got up, staring blankly at the long scratch on the car door.

"I'm so sorry! The bicycle brakes failed."

The man's voice trembled, and his dark face was filled with fear.

Chen Xuanran squatted down to examine the scratches, his expression growing increasingly grim.

"Repairing it at a 4S shop will cost at least four thousand."

The man's face turned deathly pale.

"Four thousand?"

He trembled as he pulled a crumpled wad of money from his pocket.

"This is all I have right now."

Luo Fei walked over and sized up the man, who appeared to be about thirty years old.

He was thin but muscular, with rough, calloused hands and grime under his fingernails, like a factory worker. He had an honest face, but his eyes betrayed fear and guilt.

"never mind."

Luo Fei waved his hand.

"No need to pay compensation."

The man was stunned.

"But."

"Let's go."

Luo Fei said to Chen Xuanran.

"Insurance should cover it."

Chen Xuanran pursed his lips.

"Premiums are going up again next year."

Just as the two were about to get into the car, Luo Fei suddenly stopped.

He heard a strange sound, a gurgling sound coming from the man's stomach.

"How long has it been since you last ate?"

Luo Fei suddenly asked.

The man lowered his head in embarrassment.

"Three or three days."

Luo Fei took out two hundred yuan in cash from his pocket and handed it over.

"Let's grab something to eat first, then we'll fix the car."

The man retreated repeatedly.

"No, no, I can't have it."

"I'll lend it to you."

Luo Fei stuffed the money into his hand.

I'll pay it back when I get a job.

The man's eyes were red-rimmed, and his lips trembled as he was unable to speak.

Luo Fei patted him on the shoulder, turned around and got into the car.

As the car drove away, in the rearview mirror, the man stood there and bowed deeply before carefully memorizing the license plate number.

"you are always like this."

Chen Xuanran shook his head.

"Last time I bought food for a homeless person, the time before that I helped an old lady chase a thief."

Luo Fei smiled.

"Easy to do."

What they didn't know was that this man named Zhang Chuansheng was the third child in his family. He had been sentenced to fifteen years in prison for injuring a village bully while protecting his mother, and was released last month after his sentence was reduced by three years.

Upon returning home, he discovered that his father had passed away, his mother was struggling financially, and his two older brothers were working away from home.

To make a living, he came to Jiangzhou and got a job in a small factory. He often worked overtime to earn more money, and going hungry was a common occurrence.

This time, I've spent all my last bit of money and haven't eaten for three days.

At the moment of the car crash, he thought he was going to get into big trouble again, but he never expected to meet a good person like Luo Fei.

"Luo Fei."

He silently recited the unfamiliar name, etching the license plate number deep into the depths of his mind.

……

The repair shop owner, with a cigarette dangling from his lips, glanced at the dilapidated bicycle.

"Eighty, no less."

Zhang San nodded and took out some money from his pocket. He had enough money left for a decent meal.

His stomach, which hadn't eaten for three days, was already numb, but when the aroma of food wafted into his nasal cavity, his salivary glands still secreted uncontrollably.

"Boss, a bowl of beef noodles, with an egg."

His voice was trembling.

The noodle shop owner was a fat man in his fifties. He raised an eyebrow when he saw Zhang San wolfing down his food.

"Eat slowly, no one will compete with you."

Zhang San slowed down a bit, feeling embarrassed, but hunger quickly made him pick up the pace again. He splashed some soup onto the table and hurriedly wiped it clean with his sleeve.

"Working nearby?"

The boss asked casually.

"Yes, a shoe factory."

Zhang San swallowed the food in his mouth.

"I just arrived last month."

The boss nodded thoughtfully.

"Judging from your appearance, are you short on money?"

Zhang San paused for a moment, looking somewhat embarrassed.

Prison life had made him wary of any questioning, but there was no malice in the eyes of the fat boss in front of him.

"Salary will be paid the day after tomorrow."

he whispered.

"How about this.

The boss wiped his hands.

"From now on, when you come to eat here, you'll settle the bill once a week."

Zhang San suddenly looked up, his eyes reddening again.

He put down his chopsticks and said solemnly.

"I will definitely come to pay the bill the day after tomorrow, and I will eat here from now on."

The boss waved his hand.

"Alright, alright, hurry up and eat your noodles."

As Zhang San walked out of the noodle shop, he felt his steps were much lighter.

He touched the Nokia phone in his pocket, a gift from a prison guard when he was released. It only contained his mother's and his two older brothers' numbers.

"Mom, I found a job, it's great."

He practiced his script of reporting only good news and not bad news to the air, just like when he wrote letters in prison.

The factory's night shift starts at eight o'clock.

Zhang San arrived half an hour early and skillfully changed into his work clothes. The blue uniform was faded from washing, with the four faded red characters "Jiangzhou Shoes Industry" printed on the chest.

"Hey, isn't this our 'reform inmate'?"

A sarcastic voice came from behind.

Zhang San's body stiffened for a moment, but he didn't turn around.

He knew who it was: Chen Wanhao, the leader of the Hubei gang and the workshop director's cousin.

"I'm talking to you, are you deaf?"

Chen Wanhao kicked Zhang San in the calf.

Zhang San slowly turned around, his eyes lowered.

"Brother Hao."

"Don't hold me back again today."

Chen Wanhao leaned closer, his breath reeking of cigarette smoke onto Zhang San's face.

"If you keep making me wait, you'll be sorry."

Zhang San nodded and silently walked to his workstation.

The double-needle technique requires a high degree of concentration; a slight mistake can result in pricking one's finger.

He often made mistakes when he first arrived, and although he is more skilled now, he still can't keep up with the older employees.

The roar of machines starting up filled the workshop.

Zhang San stared intently at the stitches, and soon fine beads of sweat appeared on his forehead.

An hour later, his back was soaked with sweat.

"Hey!"

A shrill female voice interrupted his rhythm.

"Where did Hao and the others go?"

Zhang San looked up and saw Li Juan from the quality inspection team standing in front of him.

She was one of the few people in the factory who treated Zhang San normally.

"do not know."

Zhang San answered honestly. Li Juan pouted.

"They've sneaked out to look for girls again, haven't they? These guys..."

Before she could finish speaking, the workshop door was suddenly pushed open.

Chen Wanhao swaggered in with his three henchmen, a lewd smile on his face.

"Damn it, the new girl at the factory next door looks like a pig."

Chen Wanhao shouted loudly.

"Still pretending to be high and mighty!"

His gaze swept over Zhang San's workbench, and his smile immediately froze.

"Damn! That's all you did?"

Chen Wanhao rushed over in three steps and grabbed Zhang San by the collar.

"What did I tell you before I left?"

Zhang San's throat was throbbing painfully from being strangled.

"I...I've tried my best to be fast."

"Try your best?"

Chen Wanhao grinned maliciously.

"You need a good beating!"

When Zhang San was slapped on the back of the head, everything went black.

The instincts he learned in prison made him tense up immediately, but reason told him he couldn't fight back. If he went back in, his mother would really be left without anyone to take care of her.

"Stare at me?"

Seeing the anger in Zhang San's eyes, Chen Wanhao became even more excited.

"You dare to stare at me?"

A pain shot through his scalp, and Chen Wanhao grabbed his hair and dragged him to the ground.

The other three people immediately surrounded him, one holding down his arm and the other stepping on his leg.

"I'll let you glare! I'll let you glare!"

Chen Wanhao straddled Zhang San and slapped him repeatedly across the face.

Despite the searing pain, Zhang San gritted his teeth to keep himself from crying out.

The taste of blood spread through my mouth, and my ears were ringing.

He stared intently at the fluorescent light on the ceiling.

"enough!"

Li Juan's voice is sharp.

"Chen Wanhao, are you fucking crazy?"

The slapping stopped.

In Zhang San's blurry vision, Li Juan was forcefully shoving Chen Wanhao.

"none of your business!"

Chen Wanhao stood up, cursing.

"This convict is interfering with my work, shouldn't he be beaten?"

Li Juan helped Zhang San up and brushed the dust off his clothes.

"You absolutely cannot lay a hand on him! Look, he's bleeding from the corner of his mouth!"

Zhang San wiped his mouth with the back of his hand, and sure enough, there was blood.

He kept his head down, not wanting anyone to see the humiliation and anger in his eyes.

"Why are you pretending to be pitiful?"

Chen Wanhao scoffed.

"Didn't you get enough beatings in prison?"

Li Juan stood in front of Zhang San.

"If you keep doing this, I'll tell the director!"

Out of consideration for Li Juan, Chen Wanhao only made some harsh words and then temporarily stopped.

Zhang San silently walked back to his workstation, the threat Chen Wanhao had made before leaving still echoing in his ears.

"You ex-convict, just you wait and see."

The machine's cold touch calmed Zhang San down a little.

He operated the stamping machine skillfully, as if the humiliation he had just suffered had never happened.

Only the wound on his lip reminded him of reality: in this factory, he would always be inferior to others.

At 3 p.m., the manager came down from the second floor after hearing the noise.

He was Chen Wanhao's cousin, and his well-dressed appearance was completely out of place in the oil-stained workshop.

"what happened?"

The manager's gaze lingered on Zhang San's swollen face for a moment before shifting away.

Chen Wanhao immediately leaned over and whispered a few words.

The manager nodded and turned to Zhang San.

"Let's get to work first. I'll give Chen Wanhao and the others a talking-to."

Zhang San nodded, his throat tightening.

He knew he was powerless to resist, and with payday approaching, he didn't want to lose his job, so he could only silently go back to work.

The manager led Chen Wanhao and the other three to the office on the second floor, and soon after, their hearty laughter could be heard from inside.

That laughter pierced Zhang San's heart like a knife.

The night shift went smoothly, and Chen Wanhao did not cause any further trouble.

When Zhang San dragged his tired body back to the eight-person dormitory, it was already dawn.

He tiptoed up to the upper bunk, careful not to wake his fellow workers. The bed creaked under the weight, much like his taut nerves.

The next day at noon, Zhang San was woken up by the dormitory manager.

"The manager wants to see you."

The administrator's eyes held pity.

"Go to the office quickly."

Zhang San's heart sank.

He quickly washed his face and looked at the man in the mirror with sunken eyes and bruises on his lips. He suddenly felt a sense of unfamiliarity. Was this really him?

The office door wasn't closed properly, and Zhang San could hear Chen Wanhao's voice inside.

"The skilled worker will arrive tomorrow; they're much better than those convicts."

The hand that was knocking on the door hung in mid-air.

"Come in."

The manager's voice came through.

Zhang San pushed open the door and saw Chen Wanhao sitting on the sofa with his legs crossed, a victor's smile on his face.

"Zhang San."

The manager adjusted his gold-rimmed glasses.

"The factory has decided to terminate your employment contract."

"why?"

Zhang San heard that his voice was incredibly dry.

"Fighting in the factory is a serious violation of factory rules."

The manager took a document out of the drawer.

"This is the termination notice. Sign it."

Zhang San knew this was just a fabricated excuse.

His fingers trembled, but he finally signed his name. The job was already unpleasant; leaving might be a relief.

How will wages be settled? Is it still possible to stay in the dormitory?

Zhang San asked, trying to keep his tone calm.

The manager glanced at Chen Wanhao, who was texting on his phone with a cold smile on his lips.

"You can continue to stay in the dormitory until you receive your wages tomorrow."

The manager said.

Zhang San nodded and left. When he went downstairs, he saw that someone had already taken his place at his workstation. A young stranger was operating the machine under Chen Wanhao's guidance.

It turns out the factory had already found a replacement.

Stepping out of the workshop, the glaring sunlight made Zhang San squint.

He suddenly realized that he had been abandoned by the world once again.

The next day, Zhang San went to the finance office to collect his salary.

Less than two thousand yuan was his hard-earned money for a month.

"Not today."

The manager peeked out from his office.

"There's a problem with the bank's system, come back tomorrow."

Zhang San bowed.

"Thank you, manager. I'll come again tomorrow."

On the third day, Zhang San came to the finance office again.

"The accountant is not feeling well."

"The manager didn't even leave the room this time; his voice came from inside."

"next time."

As Zhang San went downstairs, he encountered the real accountant, a woman in her fifties who was carrying a shopping basket back home.

"Accountant Wang, are you feeling better?"

Zhang San asked.

Accountant Wang looked completely bewildered.

"I've always been in good health. By the way, I prepared your payslip a long time ago and gave it to the manager yesterday."

Zhang San felt as if an invisible hand was gripping his heart.

All the other workers had already received their wages, but he was the only one being deliberately targeted.

Anger welled up in his heart, but he forcefully suppressed it.

He needs this money for rent, food, and living expenses to send back home. Every penny is crucial for his survival.

That evening, Zhang San went to his usual small restaurant.

Ten yuan for fried rice is one of the few decent meals he can afford.

He pushed open the door and saw the boss and Chen Wanhao smoking in the corner, chatting and laughing.

Chen Wanhao saw Zhang San, sneered, and left.

The smile on the boss's face vanished.

"A bowl of egg fried rice."

Zhang San said in a low voice and chose to sit down in the very corner.

Half an hour passed, and the dishes for the guests who arrived later than him were already served. (End of Chapter)