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

Luo Fei was somewhat surprised, but quickly understood Chen Xuanran's intention. He smiled and said, "Great, everyone's here."

The two walked out of the office one after the other, heading towards the special case team's office.

Meanwhile, in the special case team's office, Chen Yifan was staring intently at his phone screen. He was scrolling through Chen Xuanran's WeChat Moments, trying to understand her life from them.

Most of the photos on Chen Xuanran's WeChat Moments were work-related, with a few occasional snapshots of his personal life, but none of them featured him in any particularly intimate poses with members of the opposite sex. Chen Yifan noticed a photo where Chen Xuanran appeared to be wearing a ring, which made his heart sink.

"Could it be that she's no longer single?" Chen Yifan muttered to himself, his feelings becoming complicated.

Just then, the office door was pushed open, and Luo Fei walked in with Chen Xuanran. All eyes turned to them.

"Everyone, pay attention," Luo Fei clapped his hands to draw everyone's attention, "This is Officer Chen Xuanran from the Jiangcheng Criminal Investigation Detachment. He's here today to discuss a case with us."

Chen Xuanran stepped forward and introduced herself with grace and poise: "Hello everyone, I am Chen Xuanran." She paused, her gaze sweeping across the room before finally settling on Luo Fei, and smiled slightly, "I am also Luo Fei's girlfriend."

These words struck like a bolt from the blue, instantly silencing the entire office. Chen Yifan looked up abruptly, unable to believe what he had just heard. He stared wide-eyed at Chen Xuanran, then at Luo Fei, his face turning deathly pale.

Yuan Bingyan also showed a surprised expression. She subconsciously looked at Chen Yifan and realized that the person he had just mentioned falling in love with at first sight was Chen Xuanran.

After a brief moment of shock, the other colleagues quickly realized what was happening and greeted them warmly.

"So you're Luo Fei's girlfriend! Welcome, welcome!"

"No wonder Luo Fei has been leaving get off work on time lately, he must have a date."

"Officer Chen is so beautiful, Luo Fei, you're so lucky."

Amidst the commotion, Chen Yifan sat frozen in place, motionless. His gaze was fixed on Chen Xuanran, his eyes filled with shock and disbelief.

Introduced by Luo Fei, Chen Xuanran shook hands with each of her colleagues. When she reached Chen Yifan, she smiled and extended her hand: "Officer Chen, we meet again."

Chen Yifan stared at her blankly, unresponsive. His mind was a complete blank, his ears were ringing, and he couldn't hear anything around him.

"Yifan?" Luo Fei called out to him, and when he didn't respond, he raised his voice again, "Chen Yifan!"

Chen Yifan snapped out of his daze, looked at Chen Xuanran's outstretched hand, suddenly stood up, pushed back his chair, and rushed out of the office without looking back.

This move stunned everyone, and the office fell silent.

"What's wrong with him?" Chen Xuanran asked Luo Fei, puzzled.

Luo Fei also looked puzzled: "I don't know, it was fine just now."

Everyone looked at each other, wondering why Chen Yifan had reacted so strongly.

Yuan Bingyan stood up and explained softly, "He probably can't accept the harsh reality. I'll go check on him." With that, she quickly left the office to find Chen Yifan.

Yuan Bingyan found Chen Yifan in the small garden in the backyard of the National Security Bureau. He was sitting in the pavilion, his hands covering his face, his shoulders trembling slightly.

"Yifan?" Yuan Bingyan called softly.

Chen Yifan looked up, his face streaked with tears. He saw Yuan Bingyan and said with a bitter smile, "Don't you think I'm ridiculous? You just said you fell in love with her at first sight, but it turns out she's Luo Fei's girlfriend."

Yuan Bingyan sat down beside him and gently comforted him, "No one can predict matters of the heart. This is not your fault."

Chen Yifan shook his head, his voice choked with emotion: "I'm so incredibly unlucky. What's the use of a good family background? What's the use of a smooth career? I keep getting rejected in love. The people I like either don't like me back, or they're already taken."

He took a deep breath and continued to complain, "Fate is so unfair to me. Why does Luo Fei have everything? He's capable at work, a brilliant detective, and now he has such a beautiful girlfriend. And what about me? In what way do I lack compared to him?"

Yuan Bingyan listened quietly, and only spoke softly after Chen Yifan's emotions had calmed down a bit: "Actually, I also like Luo Fei."

Chen Yifan looked at her in surprise: "What? You never said that?"

"Because I know he doesn't feel the same way about me," Yuan Bingyan said with a wry smile. "But I won't give up. If you like someone, you should try your best to win them over, right?"

Chen Yifan shook his head and advised, "You should give up. Since Luo Fei already has a girlfriend, this will only make you more miserable."

“No,” Yuan Bingyan said firmly, “as long as they’re not married, I still have a chance. Besides, how do you know they’ll definitely end up together?”

She looked at Chen Yifan and said, "If I can be with Luo Fei, then you'll have a chance to pursue Chen Xuanran, right?"

Chen Yifan was stunned; he had never considered this possibility. For a moment, he didn't know how to respond and could only stare blankly at Yuan Bingyan.

Yuan Bingyan stood up and patted him on the shoulder: "Cheer up, Yifan. Nobody can predict matters of the heart. Who can foresee what changes the future holds?"

Chen Yifan lowered his head silently, his heart filled with mixed emotions. On one hand, he was shocked by Yuan Bingyan's bold confession; on the other hand, the hypothetical possibility had also planted a small seed in his heart.

Silence fell over the pavilion, broken only by the rustling of leaves in the wind. Two people, tormented by love, each harbored their own secrets.

Luo Fei stood in front of the whiteboard in the conference room, his expression serious. The members of the special case team were already seated, waiting for the case analysis meeting to begin.

"The reason I've gathered everyone here today is to discuss the series of disappearances that the Jiangcheng National Security Bureau has been unable to solve."

Luo Fei got straight to the point, clicking the remote control, and photos and basic information of four young people appeared on the whiteboard.

"The four missing persons are: Zhang Ming, 24 years old, whose father is the director of the Jiangcheng Housing and Construction Bureau; Li Wei, 25 years old, whose father is a well-known real estate developer in Jiangcheng; Wang Hao, 23 years old, whose mother is the vice president of the Jiangcheng Court; and Zhao Qiang, 24 years old, whose family runs the largest chain supermarket in Jiangcheng."

Luo Fei paused for a moment, letting his colleagues process the information, before continuing, "They have one thing in common, did you all notice it?"

Wang Feifei raised her hand and said, "They all disappeared during their birthday month."

“没错。”    罗飞点头，“更准确地说，都是在生日聚会后回家的路上消失的。张明失踪于3月15日，那天是他24岁生日；李伟失踪于5月22日，他25岁生日；王浩失踪于7月8日，刚过23岁生日；赵强失踪于9月30日，是他24岁生日后的第二天凌晨。”

Luo Fei switched the slides, displaying a detailed timeline of the four individuals: "These four people are of similar age, but they do not attend the same school, nor do they share any friends. However, their disappearances are unlikely to be a coincidence; it is highly probable that they were committed by the same group of people."

The meeting room fell silent as everyone pondered this possibility.

“I have a disturbing hypothesis,” Luo Fei said in a deep voice, “that these missing persons may have been murdered.”

Several group members looked surprised.

Luo Fei explained, "I investigated their backgrounds. Although all four had records of gambling, prostitution, and other misconduct, none of them had any entries indicating illegal activities above their heads. According to the system rules, this likely means they are already dead."

A murmur of discussion broke out in the conference room.

"So what was the motive?" Chen Yifan asked. Although he was still a little down, his professional skills allowed him to quickly get into the case analysis.

Luo Fei wrote the word "Motivation" in large letters on the whiteboard: "This is the key point we need to discuss. What are your thoughts?"

"Could it be kidnapping and extortion?" one group member suggested. "After all, they are all from wealthy families."

Luo Fei shook his head: "If it was a kidnapping, why didn't anyone receive any ransom calls or messages? None of the four families received any notification demanding ransom."

"Perhaps it was a revenge killing?" another team member guessed. "Their fathers were all powerful and influential figures, so they may have made some enemies."

Yuan Bingyan added, "Or is it a dispute caused by a woman or a man? Young people are prone to acting impulsively based on emotions."

Chen Yifan thought for a moment and said, "Could it be a homosexual love triangle? Some rich kids hide their sexual orientation."

Luo Fei nodded and noted down these possibilities: "Okay, we need to investigate from multiple angles. Yifan, go check the upscale gay bars in Jiangcheng and see if these four missing people have ever been to such places."

Chen Yifan wrote it down: "Understood."

“Bingyan,” Luo Fei turned to Yuan Bingyan, “you are responsible for conducting an in-depth investigation into the victims and the people around them, including their friends, ex-girlfriends, competitors, etc., to find out any possible connections.”

Yuan Bingyan nodded: "I will investigate carefully."

Luo Fei then assigned other tasks to the team members: "Everyone must record the investigation process in detail and report any suspicious points immediately. If we are short-handed, we can request support from Director Du."

After the meeting, the team members went about their respective tasks.

A few days later, Chen Yifan and Yuan Bingyan were in the office reviewing the information on the missing persons.

“I investigated the surveillance footage and membership records of all the high-end gay bars in Jiangcheng,” Chen Yifan said, shaking his head. “None of the four missing persons had been to such places, and their friends and acquaintances also said that they were not gay.”

Yuan Bingyan flipped through the documents in her hand: "I haven't made any groundbreaking discoveries either. It seems that these four people's social circles really don't overlap. They attend different schools, frequent different entertainment venues, and even their favorite restaurants don't overlap."

Luo Fei walked over, and upon hearing their report, his brow furrowed: "This is impossible. There must be some connection between the victims of the serial cases; we just haven't discovered it yet."

He picked up the four people's files and carefully reviewed them again, then suddenly asked, "What were their student days like? Did they have any common characteristics?"

Yuan Bingyan's eyes lit up, and she quickly searched for information: "Wait. I found a possible connection. These four missing persons were all notorious school bullies in high school, and they were also said to be very good at fighting."

Luo Fei pondered, "School bully? Can fight? That's certainly a common trait, but why specifically target birthdays?"

Chen Yifan proposed an idea: "Could the murderer be someone who hates the rich or powerful? Targeting these children of officials and the wealthy."

Luo Fei pondered for a moment and said, "That's possible, but I don't think it's that simple. If it's just about resentment towards the rich and powerful, why choose a specific time like a birthday? And why target someone who used to be a school bully?"

Silence fell in the meeting room again as the three of them pondered what this newly discovered clue might mean.

Zhou Xiaobei hesitated for a moment, then raised his hand and spoke: "Captain Luo, I have a hypothesis. These missing persons were all school bullies in middle school. Could it be that they all bullied the same classmate, and that classmate came back to take revenge after growing up?"

Luo Fei's eyes lit up: "This hypothesis is very constructive. Xiao Bei, immediately check the locations of the primary and secondary schools attended by these four missing persons."

Zhou Xiaobei quickly started working on the computer and soon got the results: "Captain Luo, we found it. Their primary schools are located in different areas, but their middle schools are all in Beijiang District, and the schools are not far apart."

This discovery immediately enlivened the atmosphere in the meeting room.

“Beijiang District is the wealthy area of ​​Jiangcheng,” Luo Fei analyzed. “These kids all attend middle school there, and they are all school bullies, so they have most likely all learned martial arts. Xiao Bei, check the records of middle school fighting competitions in Jiangcheng again and see if the names of these missing persons are there.”

Zhou Xiaobei quickly typed on the keyboard and brought up the relevant files: "Found it! Xu Ziming, the champion of the men's 62kg category at the 2012 Jiangcheng City Youth Wushu Sanda Championship. He and Xiao Dingkun, the champion of the 70kg category, both come from the Elite Sanda Fighting Club."

"Xiao Dingkun?" Luo Fei was taken aback. "Isn't that our colleague from the Jiangcheng police force?"

Yuan Bingyan asked in surprise, "Captain Luo knows this person?"

Luo Fei nodded: "I've met him a few times. He's a top expert from the Criminal Investigation Division. I didn't expect he was once a Sanda champion."

This discovery provided a new breakthrough in the case. Luo Fei immediately instructed, "Xiao Bei, continue investigating information about this elite Sanda fighting club."

Zhou Xiaobei quickly reported: "The club was suddenly deregistered in October 2012. But strangely, the owner, Yin Liluo, donated 200,000 yuan to the orphanage in August of the same year, which shows that the club's closure was not due to mismanagement."

Luo Fei pondered for a moment: "It is indeed strange. Xiao Bei, investigate Yin Liluo's wife, Zhou Lijuan, again."

“Zhou Lijuan owns a security company, and it’s quite large.” Zhou Xiaobei quickly found the relevant information.

Luo Fei stood up: "Bingyan, let's go and meet this Yin Liluo together. The rest of you continue to investigate the missing persons' student days, especially their relationship with the Elite Sanda Fighting Club."

As they prepared to depart, Yuan Bingyan asked Luo Fei curiously, "Captain Luo, I heard you weren't a policeman before? Can you tell me about your background?" (End of Chapter)