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

The two immediately returned to the National Security Bureau. Luo Fei urgently convened a meeting of the special case team members.

In the conference room, members of the special case team sat together, and Zhou Xiaobei was reporting the investigation results.

"Li Wenxuan was born on July 26, 1998, and committed suicide by jumping off a bridge on September 18, 2012. His father was a chef and his mother was a waitress. His family was of modest means. He was the only son in his family and attended Shuren Middle School in Beijiang District."

Zhou Xiaobei pulled up the file photo and said, "Judging from the photo, this boy has a rather feminine appearance."

Luo Fei stared at the photo on the screen: "What dance style is he learning at the dance training center?"

“It’s mainly folk dance and modern dance,” Zhou Xiaobei continued in his report. “According to his classmates’ recollections, Li Wenxuan was introverted, liked anime and cosplay, and was especially good at cross-dressing as female characters.”

Luo Fei frowned and asked, "Have you found out the specific reasons for his suicide?"

Zhou Xiaobei shook his head: "The case file is very brief, only saying that it was because of the pressure of studying. His parents moved to Shenzhen after the incident, and their contact information has also changed."

"Excessive academic pressure?" Luo Fei pondered. "A junior high school student committing suicide because of academic pressure? That reason is too far-fetched. I suspect he may have been bullied at school, especially considering his feminine appearance and hobbies."

However, Zhou Xiaobei's investigation results were unexpected: "Captain Luo, I checked the records of Shuren Middle School. The school is known for its strict management and takes bullying incidents very seriously. The school records show that they have not received any complaints about Li Wenxuan being bullied."

Just then, Luo Fei suddenly remembered an important clue: "Was Zhou Yihang, one of the missing persons, also a student at Shuren Middle School? Did he know Li Wenxuan?"

Zhou Xiaobei quickly searched the information: "It's confirmed. Zhou Yihang and Li Wenxuan are classmates in the same school but different classes. Both of them enrolled in the junior high school of Shuren Middle School in 2012."

Yuan Bingyan immediately proposed a hypothesis: "Captain Luo, could it be that Zhou Yihang and others bullied Li Wenxuan, leading to his suicide? And now Li Wenxuan's parents have returned to avenge their child?"

Luo Fei nodded: "This hypothesis is reasonable. If that's the case, then Li Wenxuan's parents definitely have a motive to commit the crime."

He immediately issued an order: "Focus on investigating Li Wenxuan's parents. Xiao Bei, find out their current whereabouts."

After operating the computer, Zhou Xiaobei reported: "Strange, all of Li Wenxuan's parents' spending records after 2012 have been interrupted. There are no medical records, no traffic records, and not even bank card usage records. It's as if they have vanished into thin air."

Wang Feifei speculated, "Could they have been silenced? If they were the murderers, they might have been dealt with by their accomplices."

Chen Yifan retorted, "That's unlikely. If they were silenced, who would avenge their child? It doesn't make logical sense."

The investigation seemed to have reached a stalemate. After a moment of contemplation, Luo Fei proposed a new possibility: "Perhaps they haven't disappeared, but have abandoned their old identities and are living in Jiangcheng under new ones, possibly even among us. That way, they can secretly plot their revenge."

He continued his analysis: "Li Wenxuan's death is likely related to these missing persons, including Xiao Dingkun. Those wealthy young men may have bullied Li Wenxuan because of his feminine appearance and hobbies, ultimately leading to his suicide."

Luo Fei stood up, his expression serious: "We must find Li Wenxuan's parents. Xiao Bei, expand the search area and check all couples who have settled in Jiangcheng after 2012 and whose age matches that of Li Wenxuan's parents. Yi Fan, go to Shenzhen and investigate to see if they really lived there."

Yuan Bingyan added, "Should we also investigate Li Wenxuan's relatives? Maybe they know something."

Luo Fei nodded: "Good idea. Bingyan, you're in charge of investigating Li Wenxuan's family network and see if anyone knows the whereabouts of his parents."

The team members obeyed and left, while Luo Fei stood alone in front of the whiteboard, staring at Li Wenxuan's photo. He vaguely sensed that this boy, who had been dead for many years, might be the key to solving the entire series of disappearances.

His mysteriously disappeared parents are probably lurking somewhere in Jiangcheng, quietly carrying out their revenge plan.

Luo Fei took out his phone and dialed Chen Xuanran's number: "Xuanran, help me investigate an old case, the teenage suicide case on September 18, 2012, the victim's name was Li Wenxuan. I need all the case files, especially the crime scene investigation records and autopsy report."

Although Chen Xuanran on the other end of the phone was still angry about what happened that morning, he immediately agreed when he heard that it was a serious work matter: "Okay, I'll get the information right away. But Luo Fei, you have to explain this morning's events to me properly tonight."

Luo Fei gave a wry smile: "I understand. I'll definitely give you a satisfactory explanation tonight."

After hanging up the phone, Luo Fei continued studying the clues on the whiteboard. He had a strong premonition that Li Wenxuan's suicide was not simply caused by school bullying, but that there must be a deeper secret behind it.

This secret is likely directly related to the disappearances of wealthy young men.

Luo Fei realized he needed to find Xiao Dingkun as soon as possible to learn about what happened back then, so he immediately contacted the Criminal Investigation Detachment, only to learn that Xiao Dingkun had already taken leave from his unit and his whereabouts were unknown.

"When did you take leave?" Luo Fei pressed.

"Yesterday afternoon, they said there was an emergency at home," the other party replied.

A sense of foreboding rose in Luo Fei's heart; he suspected that Xiao Dingkun might have also met with misfortune. Even more worrying was that, due to the interference of Vice Mayor Xiao, the news of Xiao Dingkun's disappearance was being kept strictly confidential, which greatly hampered the investigation.

Just then, Luo Fei's phone rang. It was Meng Haonan, the deputy director of the municipal bureau, calling.

"Luo Fei, there's an urgent case that needs your help investigating," Meng Haonan said seriously. "Vice Mayor Xiao's son, Xiao Dingkun, has gone missing."

Luo Fei was not surprised: "Director Meng, I already know."

Meng Haonan was somewhat surprised: "How did you know? This information should still be kept secret."

"The National Security Bureau is investigating a series of disappearances, and Xiao Dingkun may be involved in the case," Luo Fei explained.

Meng Haonan pondered for a moment: "In that case, I'll hand this case over to you. Investigate it together with other cases. But handle it discreetly. Vice Mayor Xiao is about to be promoted to mayor of Jiangcheng City, and the news of his son's disappearance must not be leaked at this time."

"Understood." After hanging up the phone, Luo Fei immediately convened a meeting of the special case team members, and also invited the National Security task force that had previously been in charge of investigating the missing persons case. Director Jiang Yunfeng also attended the meeting.

In the conference room, members of the two teams sat on opposite sides, the atmosphere somewhat tense. The task force members were initially skeptical of the special task force's capabilities, but their expressions gradually became serious as Luo Fei began to introduce the progress of the investigation.

Luo Fei explained the clues on the whiteboard one by one: "We have found out that the four missing persons were all students of the Elite Sanda Fighting Club in 2012, and Xiao Dingkun was also a member of the club. More importantly, we have discovered that these missing persons may be related to the suicide of a boy named Li Wenxuan in 2012."

He pulled up Li Wenxuan's photo and information: "Li Wenxuan committed suicide by jumping off a bridge on September 18, 2012. Before his death, he was studying at a dance training center next to the martial arts school where the missing persons were located. We have reason to suspect that Li Wenxuan's death may be related to these missing persons, and his parents may be seeking revenge for this."

The task force members exchanged bewildered glances, clearly stunned by Luo Fei's findings. They had investigated for so long, yet had never traced the clues to this 2012 suicide case. Luo Fei announced, "From now on, the task force and the special investigation team will merge to investigate this case together. Our primary task is to find the whereabouts of Li Wenxuan's parents and Xiao Dingkun."

He began assigning tasks: "Yifan, you lead a team to investigate the possible hiding places of Li Wenxuan's parents; Bingyan, you are responsible for investigating Li Wenxuan's family network; Xiaobei, you continue to track Xiao Dingkun's last movements."

After the tasks were assigned, everyone immediately went their separate ways.

That evening, after finishing work, Luo Fei drove home. On the way, he couldn't help but think about how Chen Xuanran had misunderstood him while he was having hotpot with Yuan Bingyan at noon, and he couldn't help but sigh.

When he got home, Chen Xuanran was already there. When he saw Luo Fei return, his expression was not good.

Luo Fei's grandmother greeted him warmly, "Xuanran is here! Come and eat!"

Chen Xuanran didn't go to the restaurant. Instead, he pulled his grandmother to the sofa and whispered, "Grandma, I think Luo Fei might have another woman outside."

Grandma was stunned for a moment: "How could that be? Xiaofei isn't that kind of person."

Chen Xuanran took out his grandmother's little notebook where she usually kept names: "Look, this is the list of girls you wrote down that are suitable for Luo Fei. I think it would be better if I withdrew, please cross my name off."

Grandma was furious when she heard this. She picked up a feather duster and was about to teach Luo Fei a lesson: "This brat, how dare he offend Xuanran!"

Just then, Luo Fei came out of the bathroom and saw his grandmother holding a feather duster. He looked puzzled and asked, "Grandma, what are you doing?"

"What are you doing? I'm going to teach you a lesson today, you heartless bastard!" Grandma said as she chased after him, hitting him.

While dodging, Luo Fei asked, "What happened to me? Why did you suddenly hit me?"

Seeing Luo Fei's disheveled appearance, Chen Xuanran couldn't help but chuckle. The housekeepers were also dumbfounded, never expecting that the usually dignified Luo Fei would be chased and beaten by his grandmother.

Grandma, holding a feather duster, glared angrily at Luo Fei: "You fickle brat! How dare you go on dates with other women behind Xuanran's back!"

While dodging, Luo Fei explained, "Grandma, it's really a misunderstanding! Yuan Bingyan is my colleague. We were together to investigate a case and just happened to have a working lunch."

Grandma put down the feather duster with some skepticism and turned to Chen Xuanran: "Xuanran, what exactly is going on? Is there some misunderstanding?"

Chen Xuanran pursed his lips and remained silent, only staring at Luo Fei.

Luo Fei sighed, stepped forward and took Chen Xuanran's hand: "Come on, let's go inside and talk."

Before Chen Xuanran could react, Luo Fei pulled her into the bedroom. Luo Fei locked the door behind him and threw Chen Xuanran onto the bed.

"What are you going to do?" Chen Xuanran asked somewhat flustered.

Luo Fei leaned closer, his tone laced with threat: "I'm going to teach you a lesson. Not only did you frame me, but you also went to tell Grandma?"

Chen Xuanran wanted to argue, but Luo Fei had already kissed her lips. After a passionate encounter, the two lay on the bed, panting.

"You're not allowed to doubt me again." Luo Fei pinched Chen Xuanran's cheek.

Chen Xuanran blushed and warned, "Then you're not allowed to lie to me again."

"Okay, I won't do it again next time." Luo Fei agreed with a smile, then teased, "But aren't you being too nervous about Yuan Bingyan? She's just an ordinary colleague."

Chen Xuanran said seriously, "I noticed that the way she looked at you was strange, and when we made eye contact today, her eyes were full of provocation."

Luo Fei nodded: "Then I'll try to keep my distance from her in the future."

As the two were getting dressed and preparing to go out for dinner, Chen Xuanran suddenly said, "Oh, by the way, I bought you a gift at the general store today, and I put it in the bedside table drawer."

Luo Fei curiously opened the drawer and found a brand-new pair of large scissors inside. He looked at Chen Xuanran in shock, only to see her giving him a strange smile.

"Do you understand what I mean?" Chen Xuanran said meaningfully.

Luo Fei swallowed hard and nodded quickly, "Yes, I understand."

The atmosphere in the special task force's meeting room was heavy the next morning. The officers in charge of investigating Xiao Dingkun's disappearance were giving a report.

"On the night of his birthday, March 16, 2024, Xiao Dingkun celebrated with friends at a KTV in the city center. He left alone around 3 a.m. and called a designated driver at the entrance. Surveillance footage shows that the designated driver drove away from the city center, but disappeared in the Haixia Road area of ​​Beijiang District."

The officer switched to a slideshow, displaying a map: "We eventually found Xiao Dingkun's car at the three-way intersection, but he was already missing. There were no signs of a struggle or blood inside the car."

Luo Fei frowned and asked, "Have you found out the driver's identity?"

Investigators shook their heads: "It's difficult to investigate. The driver solicited customers directly at the KTV entrance, without going through a platform. The lighting was dim at the time, and the surveillance footage couldn't clearly show his face."

Chen Yifan analyzed, "The killer chose to strike on the victim's birthday night, most likely because the victim usually drinks alcohol and cannot drive at that time, giving them an opportunity."

Yuan Bingyan suggested, "The other party may have used another vehicle to transfer Xiao Dingkun at the three-way intersection. We should check all vehicles that passed through the three-way intersection at that time."

The investigators looked troubled: "This is a huge workload. There are no surveillance cameras at the three-way intersection, so we can only retrieve surveillance footage from nearby roads. Preliminary statistics show that more than 2300 vehicles passed through the intersection in the early hours of that day."

A collective gasp filled the conference room. More than 2300 vehicles—this meant the investigation would be exceptionally challenging.

Luo Fei pondered for a moment and then gave the order: "No matter how difficult it is, we must investigate. Divide into several groups and check the driving trajectories of these vehicles one by one. Pay special attention to vehicles that stay in the area for an unusual amount of time or whose driving routes are suspicious."

He stood up, his gaze sweeping across the room: "The murderer is very likely hiding among these 2300-plus vehicles. We must find Xiao Dingkun as soon as possible, otherwise he may be in grave danger." (End of Chapter)