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

Zhang San's desk remained empty.

"Boss, my food!"

Zhang San couldn't help but ask.

"We have a lot of customers, so please wait!"

The boss didn't even turn his head.

"Besides, aren't you still on credit?"

Zhang San clenched his fist.

He did owe 47 yuan, but the boss never pressed him for payment and even offered to settle the debt at the end of the month.

Another half hour passed, and the number of people in the restaurant gradually decreased, but Zhang San's food still hadn't arrived.

He got up to leave, but the boss suddenly rushed over and stopped him.

"Want to run?"

The boss grabbed Zhang San by the collar.

"Trying to run away after paying on credit?"

"I don't"

Zhang San tried to explain.

"I just"

"Just what?"

The boss raised his voice.

"A penniless wretch, trying to dine and dash and throwing a tantrum!"

A crowd quickly gathered at the restaurant entrance to watch the commotion. Unaware of the truth, the crowd began to criticize Zhang San.

"Young people these days, they're so shameless!"

"A convict is a convict; a leopard can't change its spots!"

"Call the police and have him arrested!"

Zhang San's head was buzzing, and everything in front of him became distorted.

But he couldn't make a sound.

What's wrong with this world? Why does everyone want to be his enemy?

"I'm going to find the manager to get the money now."

Zhang San said with difficulty.

"I'll return it to you as soon as I get it."

"Are you kidding me?"

The boss wouldn't let it go.

"Who knows if you'll run away?"

He picked up a plastic chair, about to smash it down. At the last second, the proprietress rushed out and stopped him.

Never mind.

The proprietress pulled the two apart.

"It's not worth it for such a small amount of money."

Zhang San slunk away from the restaurant, as if the mocking laughter behind him was chasing after him.

The night wind blew on his face, and he realized that his face was already covered in tears.

At that moment, Zhang San finally understood that forbearance would not earn him respect, and begging would not bring him justice.

All the humiliation stemmed from the manager's deliberate withholding of wages, Chen Wanhao's intentional harassment, and the world's malice towards people like him.

He wiped away his tears, turned around, and walked towards the factory.

The factory gate was rusty, and the security room was empty.

Zhang San easily scaled the wall and headed straight for the manager's office. Through the frosted glass, he could see the lights were on inside.

"Dong dong dong."

Zhang San knocked on the door three times.

"Who?"

The manager's impatient voice came through.

"It's me, Zhang San."

There was a few seconds of silence inside the door, followed by the sound of a chair being moved.

The door opened a crack, and the manager's greasy face appeared through the gap, his eyes full of vigilance.

"What's the matter so late?"

"I'm here to collect my salary."

Zhang San was straightforward.

"It's been dragging on for three months already."

The manager chuckled and opened the door a little wider.

Zhang San saw that the office was filled with smoke, and the computer screen was still displaying the interface of a card game.

"The accountant isn't at work, so the salaries haven't been calculated yet."

The manager turned back to his seat, picked up his phone, and continued playing the game.

"Come again next month."

"Everyone else got it."

Zhang San's voice began to tremble.

"It's just me and a few newcomers left."

The manager didn't even look up.

"I have no money for you. Either you kill me, or you keep waiting."

The sounds of mobile games were particularly jarring in the quiet office.

Zhang San clenched and unclenched his fists at his sides, his nails digging deep into his palms.

"Okay, I'll wait."

Zhang San said in a low voice, then turned and left.

The corridor lights flickered, illuminating Zhang San's gloomy face.

He slowly walked down the stairs, each step feeling like he was stepping on his own dignity.

Back in front of the dormitory building, he looked up at the window in the far corner of the third floor, which was the room he shared with seven other workers.

The sound of the key being inserted into the lock was drowned out by the noise inside. Pushing open the door, a thick smell of smoke hit him, making Zhang San cough.

"Hey, our 'honest man' is back!"

Chen Wanhao sat on the lower bunk near the door, a deck of cards in his hand, a mocking smile on his face.

His three henchmen, Yu Liming, Long Zeren, and Li Qihong, sat around him, with beer bottles and cigarette butts scattered on the ground.

Zhang San didn't respond and walked towards his bed with his head down.

As he passed Chen Wanhao, he suddenly felt his foot trip and fell forward, crashing heavily to the ground.

"Hahaha! Look at this idiot!"

Chen Wanhao's laughter was sharp and piercing.

"He can't even walk steadily!"

Zhang San slowly got up, his palms aching from being rubbed against the floor.

He walked to his lower bunk, sat down wearily, and immediately felt a cold, damp patch on his bottom.

"Hold!"

Zhang San suddenly stood up, reached out and touched the bed sheet. It was soaked and smelled strongly of urine.

A burst of laughter erupted in the dormitory.

"How's it going? Are you comfortable?"

Yu Liming laughed so hard he almost fell over.

"We specially prepared this 'drink' for you!"

Long Zeren clutched his stomach.

"Brother Hao said your bed is too clean, so he'll add some 'spice' for you!"

Zhang San stood there, his whole body beginning to tremble uncontrollably.

He could feel the blood rushing to his head, and his ears were ringing. Years of pent-up humiliation, anger, and despair reached their peak at this moment.

"Hey, are you mute?"

Chen Wanhao slammed the playing cards onto the bed.

"You don't even know how to say thank you?"

Zhang San turned around and stared intently at Chen Wanhao.

His eyes were bloodshot, but a strange smile played on his lips.

"I really need to thank you properly."

Zhang San's voice was surprisingly calm.

He walked to his bed, bent down and pulled out a long object wrapped in rags from under the covers.

The strip of cloth was unfurled, revealing a gleaming machete.

The laughter in the dormitory suddenly stopped.

"What are you going to do?"

Chen Wanhao's smile froze on his face, and his voice began to tremble.

Zhang San didn't answer. He turned and walked to the door, slamming it shut and locking it behind him.

"Zhang San! Are you fucking crazy?"

Yu Liming stood up, his face deathly pale.

"Put down the knife!"

Zhang San slowly walked towards the four people, the tip of his knife dragging on the ground, making a grating metallic scraping sound.

His expression was terrifyingly calm, but his eyes burned with a mad flame.

"I'm mad?"

Zhang San said softly.

"Yeah, you guys are driving me crazy."

Just as Yu Liming was about to speak, Zhang San suddenly sprang to his feet, his cleaver flashing silver as it embedded itself deeply into Yu's neck. Blood gushed out, splattering onto Zhang San's face and the wall.

"Ah!" Long Zeren and Li Qihong screamed and scrambled backward.

Yu Liming's body fell down like a rag doll, his neck twisted at an odd angle.

Zhang San pulled out his knife and struck again, this time severing the cervical vertebrae. The head rolled onto the floor, its eyes still wide open in terror.

"Help! Someone's killing someone!"

Long Zeren slumped to the ground, his pants already soaked.

Zhang San turned to him, blood dripping from the tip of his knife.

"Don't you guys like bullying people? Keep it up."

Long Zeren opened his mouth as if to say something, but Zhang San's knife had already pierced his throat.

The blade pierced through the back of his neck, leaving a trail of blood. Long Zeren's hands gripped the blade in vain, eventually falling limply to his sides.

Li Qihong was terrified and knelt on the ground, kowtowing repeatedly.

"Brother Zhang, Brother Zhang, I was wrong. It was all Chen Wanhao's doing. Please forgive me."

Zhang San tilted his head and looked at him as if he were admiring a dying insect.

"late."

The machete was raised high and then brought down heavily.

Li Qihong's head was split open like a watermelon, with brain matter and blood splattered all over the ground.

In the blink of an eye, only Chen Wanhao remained alive in the dormitory.

He tried to escape through the window, but found it blocked by security bars. Turning around, he saw Zhang San walking towards him with a blood-dripping knife. Chen Wanhao's legs went weak, and he knelt down.

"Zhang San... no, Brother Zhang!"

Chen Wanhao was in tears.

"I was wrong! I was really wrong! I'll give you money! I'll get my dad to arrange a job for you! Please don't kill me!"

Zhang San stood in front of him, the tip of his knife pressed against Chen Wanhao's forehead, drawing a bloody line.

"do you know?"

Zhang San said softly.

“Every day I think about what it would feel like if I could rebel one day.”

Chen Wanhao was trembling all over, and urine was flowing down his trouser leg.

"now I understand."

Zhang San raised his knife.

"This feeling is fucking awesome."

With a flash of light, Chen Wanhao's head was split in two, his brains and blood splattering onto the wall.

His body twitched a few times, then finally stopped moving.

The dormitory was deathly silent, except for the sound of blood dripping onto the floor.

Zhang San looked around at the four corpses and the blood all over the ground, and suddenly laughed.

"In your next life, remember not to bully honest people."

He spoke to Chen Wanhao's corpse.

Zhang San pulled a clean piece of clothing from under the bed, wiped the blood off his face, and then opened the dormitory door and went out.

The corridor was deserted. He slowly walked down the stairs, carrying a cleaver that was still dripping blood.

On the second floor, around the corner, he ran into his coworker Xiao Wang, who had just finished his night shift.

When Xiao Wang saw Zhang San covered in blood, he was so frightened that he took a few steps back and bumped his back against the wall.

"Brother Zhang"

Xiao Wang's voice trembled.

"What are you"

Zhang San glanced at him, his eyes cold.

"None of your business."

Xiao Wang huddled in the corner, watching Zhang San walk past him with a knife, not daring to utter a sound.

When the door to the manager's office was kicked open, the manager was smoking in front of his computer.

He cursed without even looking up.

"Who the hell is it?"

Before he could finish speaking, he looked up and saw Zhang San standing in the doorway. Blood-stained clothes, cold eyes, and a blood-dripping cleaver.

"you you."

The manager slid off the chair and backed away on all fours.

"Security! Security!"

Zhang San approached step by step, the tip of his knife leaving a trail of blood on the ground.

"The accountant hasn't started work yet? And the salaries haven't been calculated?"

Zhang San's voice was frighteningly soft.

"It's okay, I'll get it myself."

The manager was forced into a corner, with nowhere to escape.

"Zhang San! Calm down! I'll give you the money right now!"

He frantically pulled his wallet out of his pocket and shook out all the banknotes inside.

"All for you! All for you!"

Zhang San looked at the banknotes scattered on the ground and suddenly laughed.

"late."

With a flash of light, a bloody hole appeared in the manager's chest.

He looked down at the knife tip piercing his heart, his face filled with disbelief.

"In your next life, remember to get paid on time."

Zhang San pulled out his knife, and the manager's body fell down like a tattered sack.

Zhang San picked up three hundred-yuan bills from the ground, without even glancing at the rest.

He stepped over the manager's body, walked out of the office, and closed the door behind him.

Zhang San wiped the blood off the doorknob with his sleeve and turned to walk towards the stairwell.

"Zhang Zhang San?"

Sister Juan's voice boomed from the corner of the stairs.

The middle-aged woman in charge of quality inspection was holding a thermos in her hand, and the color drained from her face instantly.

Her gaze shifted from Zhang San's blood-soaked clothes to the still-dripping knife, and the thermos clattered onto the concrete floor.

"Thanks, Sister Juan."

Zhang San suddenly bowed, his movements so precise they resembled those of someone attending a ceremony.

“Last month, my daughter had a fever, and you lent me two hundred yuan.”

Before Sister Juan could respond, he strode downstairs. A dull thud came from behind her as something fell to the ground, and Sister Juan fainted from fright.

When Chen Mo, the criminal investigation team leader, arrived at the shoe factory, the area outside the police cordon was already surrounded by workers.

He pushed through the crowd, and a strong smell of blood immediately hit him.

"The scene of the incident is in the office on the second floor."

The head of the local police station came up to greet him, his face pale.

"The deceased was the factory's production manager. He died from a single stab wound; his heart was pierced."

Chen Mo put on gloves and glanced at the human figure drawn on the ground with chalk.

Blood splattered across the entire wall in a spray pattern, but the documents on the desk were neatly arranged.

"The murder weapon?"

"It should be a switchblade, but I couldn't find it."

The director wiped the sweat from his forehead.

"What's even stranger is that only three hundred yuan was missing from the deceased's wallet."

Revenge killings typically don't involve such precise targeting of money, unless...
"Team Chen!"

Xiao Wang from the technical department rushed in from outside.

"Two more bodies have been found! In the small restaurant behind the cafeteria!"

When Chen Mo arrived at the second scene, the forensic doctor was examining the restaurant owner's body.

The fat man's death posture was bizarre. He was sitting in a chair behind the cashier, his hands still in the position of receiving money, but his own meat cleaver was stuck in his chest.

"The time of death was no more than twenty minutes."

The forensic doctor pointed to the congealed bloodstains on the body's chest.

"The murderer used the victim's knife to deliver the final blow, but the fatal wound was still a stab to the heart, just like the one at the shoe factory."

Chen Mo squatted down and noticed a hundred-yuan bill tucked into the seam of the cashier's drawer.

He turned to look at the landlady who was huddled in the corner, crying.

"What did the murderer say?"

He said

The proprietress was trembling all over.

"They said they wanted Old Li to be a truly good person in his next life, and then..."

Chen Mo's phone suddenly vibrated. It was a call from the bureau.

"Team Leader Chen, we just received a report from the ferry crossing police station that three more bodies have been found in the alley on the west side of the industrial zone! All three have had their hearts pierced by sharp blades!"

"Oh shit!"

Chen Mo slammed his fist against the wall. On the blood-stained wall, a yellowed pay slip caught his eye.

He looked closer and found it was Zhang San's salary record, with the last three months marked with a red cross.

"Immediately retrieve all of Zhang San's records!"

Chen Mo shouted into the walkie-talkie.

"Focus on investigating labor dispute records!"

In the intricate alleyways of the industrial zone, Zhang San was changing his clothes.

He took out a backpack he had prepared beforehand from a public toilet stall and stuffed the blood-stained clothes into a plastic bag.

The tap was running, and he carefully scrubbed the blood from under his fingernails. (End of Chapter)