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

“Old He’s departure from the police force may have been forced.” The woman’s eyes were filled with tears. “Over the years, he often woke up from nightmares, always muttering that he was not worthy of being a policeman. I asked him what happened, but he never said.”

Luo Fei asked astutely, "When did this situation begin?"

“It started in the fall of 2012,” the woman recalled, “shortly after he finished the autopsy of that boy who jumped from the building.”

This information made Luo Fei and Yuan Bingyan exchange a glance, and they both knew the answer in their hearts.

Just then, Luo Fei's phone rang. The caller ID showed an unknown number.

"Hello, is this Officer Luo Fei?" A frantic female voice came from the other end of the phone. "I'm Jiang Shaofen, Xiao Dingkun's mother. Could you please come to my house? It's about my son's disappearance."

Luo Fei was a little surprised, but he still agreed: "Okay, we'll be right there."

After hanging up the phone, Luo Fei said to Yuan Bingyan, "Xiao Dingkun's mother is looking for us. Go to Guohuishan in Beijiang District."

The two immediately drove to Beijiang District. Guohuishan is a well-known upscale residential community in Jiangcheng. The security guards saw Luo Fei's police car and let him pass without asking any questions, clearly knowing the residents of Building 18 very well.

Upon arriving at the Xiao family villa, a nanny respectfully ushered them inside. In the living room, a middle-aged woman with a haggard face but impeccably dressed stood up to greet them.

"I am Jiang Shaofen, Xiao Dingkun's mother," she introduced herself. She is also a leader of the Jiangcheng Tobacco Bureau and the president of the Women's Federation.

Jiang Shaofen asked anxiously, "Officer Luo, is there any news about my son?"

Luo Fei cautiously replied, "We have found some clues, but we still need the cooperation of the family members."

“We will cooperate fully!” Jiang Shaofen said quickly. “We’ll do anything as long as we can find Dingkun.”

Luo Fei cut to the chase: "In 2012, did you send Xiao Dingkun to an elite Sanda (Chinese kickboxing) club to learn martial arts?"

Jiang Shaofen nodded: "Yes, he went willingly. What's wrong? Is it related to the disappearance?"

Luo Fei continued, "Do you know about the incident where a teenager named Li Wenxuan committed suicide by jumping off a building at the dance training center next to the fight club?"

Jiang Shaofen's expression visibly stiffened for a moment: "I...I don't quite remember. It was such a long time ago."

Luo Fei didn't give her a chance to avoid the question: "As far as we know, Xiao Dingkun has a history of bullying at school, and even almost blinded a classmate. In the end, he had to pay 20,000 yuan in compensation. You should remember that, right?"

Jiang Shaofen's face immediately turned ugly: "That was the other child who started the trouble! Our Dingkun is the victim!"

Luo Fei looked directly into her eyes and said in a serious tone, "Ms. Jiang, if I may be so bold, your overindulgence of your son and your misconceptions may be the reason for his disappearance. If we cannot face the past objectively, it will be difficult to find the truth in the present."

These words enraged Jiang Shaofen, who abruptly stood up: "Officer Luo! I invited you here to find my son, not to listen to your lecture! I'm giving you a week. If you can't find Dingkun, I will hold you accountable!"

Luo Fei responded without hesitation: "Police investigations require the cooperation of family members, not threats. If you treat the investigation with this attitude, the case is unlikely to be resolved quickly."

Jiang Shaofen angrily pointed to the door: "Get out! I don't want to see you right now!"

Luo Fei calmly stood up: "We will continue our investigation, but we hope you can think carefully about what I just said. Sometimes, facing the truth takes more courage than seeking it."

After saying that, he turned and left with Yuan Bingyan. Once outside the Xiao family villa, Yuan Bingyan couldn't help but say, "Captain Luo, aren't you afraid she'll really cause you trouble by talking back to her so directly?"

Luo Fei shook his head: "If we dare not speak the truth because we are afraid of the powerful, then what are we doing handling cases? Sometimes, we have to shatter the illusions of the families so that they can face reality."

Just as Luo Fei and Yuan Bingyan were about to get into the car and leave, a dignified voice came from behind: "Wait a minute!"

The two turned around and saw Xiao Yuanfeng standing at the villa entrance, his face grim. The vice mayor, who was about to become the mayor of Jiangcheng City, strode over and questioned them sternly, "Officer Luo, why are you not cooperating with the family's demands?"

Luo Fei calmly countered, "Vice Mayor Xiao, are you asking me this question as a leader or as a family member?"

Xiao Yuanfeng paused for a moment, then replied, "As a family member."

Luo Fei looked him straight in the eye: "Since you're speaking as a family member, I'll be frank. Without the cooperation of family members, the case will hardly make progress. We need to know the truth, not cover it up."

Xiao Yuanfeng insisted, "My son has absolutely no connection to the child who jumped off the building back then. Please don't waste your time on these irrelevant matters."

Luo Fei understood that Xiao Yuanfeng was worried that exposing the school violence incident would affect his political future, so he would never admit it. He stopped arguing and turned to leave.

"Halt!" Xiao Yuanfeng shouted sternly. "I am now ordering you, in my capacity as the Vice Mayor of Jiangcheng, to solve this case within a week! You must find my son!"

Luo Fei turned around and replied without fear, "I'm sorry, Vice Mayor Xiao. I am a police officer, not your subordinate. I will not accept orders that violate the principles of case handling."

Xiao Yuanfeng's face turned ashen with rage: "You! Do you know the consequences of disobeying orders?"

Luo Fei suddenly took out his phone and pretended to dial a number: "I'll call Director Meng right now and resign from my job in the criminal investigation team. That way I won't have to take your orders anymore."

He paused, looking at Xiao Yuanfeng meaningfully: "However, before I resign, there are some things about you that I'm afraid I'll have to report to my superiors. At that point, forget about being promoted to mayor; I'm afraid you won't even be able to keep your position as deputy mayor."

Xiao Yuanfeng stared at Luo Fei in shock, speechless for a moment.

Luo Fei put away his phone, his tone calm but firm: "Vice Mayor Xiao, I hope you understand: I am here to solve the case and save lives, not to take orders from anyone. If you really want to find your son, please cooperate with the investigation."

After saying that, he took Yuan Bingyan into the car and left, leaving Xiao Yuanfeng standing there with a livid face.

The next morning, Luo Fei received an unexpected phone call.

"Is this Officer Luo Fei? This is He Hongsheng." The voice on the other end of the phone trembled slightly. "Could we meet? It's under the overpass in Beijiang District."

Luo Fei immediately agreed: "Okay, I'll be right there."

When he arrived at the agreed location, he saw that He Hongsheng had been waiting there for a long time.

"Forensic Doctor He, are you willing to tell me the truth?" Luo Fei asked. He Hong took a deep breath: "The reason I'm willing to come is partly because of your father, Luo Jianguo. We used to be colleagues, and he's a good policeman. On the other hand, I've heard about your abilities and reputation, and I believe you can bring justice to the case from back then."

He pointed to the overpass beneath his feet, his voice choked with emotion: "Twelve years ago, Li Wenxuan jumped from here. I will never forget that scene. A fourteen-year-old child ended his life just like that."

He Hongsheng's eyes reddened: "I was in charge of his autopsy at the time and found many suspicious points. But... but someone put pressure on me to revise the report. I... I compromised."

He covered his face in anguish: "Over the years, I've regretted it every day. Why didn't I stand up for the truth back then? Why did I bow to the powerful? I really don't deserve to be a policeman."

Luo Fei listened in silence, then solemnly promised, "Forensic Doctor He, please rest assured. I will definitely find out the truth and give Li Wenxuan justice. Everyone is equal before the law, and no one can be above the law."

He Hongsheng took out a yellowed file folder from his pocket and handed it to Luo Fei with slightly trembling hands: "This is a copy of Li Wenxuan's real autopsy report from back then. I secretly kept a copy."

Luo Fei took the file bag and carefully took out the report inside. The report showed that Li Wenxuan had multiple bruises and soft tissue injuries caused by human intervention, indicating that he had indeed been violently beaten before his suicide.

He Hongsheng explained in a low voice, "Back then, I found a clear fingerprint on Li Wenxuan's school uniform button. After comparison, it was confirmed to be Xiao Dingkun's fingerprint. Just as I was about to report this discovery, Vice Mayor Xiao personally came to find me."

He paused, his eyes filled with pain: "Xiao Yuanfeng threatened me with my son's job in the municipal government, demanding that I change the autopsy report. I eventually gave in. But from that day on, I knew I was no longer fit to be a police officer, so I resigned and left the police force."

Luo Fei solemnly put away the document: "Forensic Doctor He, thank you for being willing to tell the truth. Even if it means you have to admit that you made a false report."

He Hongsheng smiled bitterly: "I have been running away for twelve years. It is time to face my mistakes. As long as I can give Li Wenxuan justice, I am willing to bear all the consequences."

Upon returning to the National Security Bureau, Luo Fei immediately convened an emergency meeting and presented the crucial autopsy report to the members of the special task force.

"Now we can confirm that Li Wenxuan's death is indeed related to Xiao Dingkun and others," Luo Fei said solemnly. "The most important task next is to find Li Wenxuan's parents, who are very likely suspects in the kidnapping of Xiao Dingkun."

However, a week has passed, and despite the deployment of a large number of police officers, the special task force still has not found the whereabouts of Li Wenxuan's parents.

During a case analysis meeting, Luo Fei pointed out: "They may have changed their identities, or even undergone cosmetic surgery, which makes it more difficult for them to find work."

Halfway through the meeting, Luo Fei suddenly asked, "What's the date today?"

Zhou Xiao checked the calendar: "April 2nd, what's wrong, Captain Luo?"

"Qingming Festival is approaching." Luo Fei said thoughtfully, "If Li Wenxuan's parents were still in Jiangcheng, they would likely go to pay their respects to their son before Qingming Festival."

He immediately said to Yuan Bingyan, "Bingyan, come with me to the cemetery."

The two drove to the Beijiang District Cemetery and found Li Wenxuan's tombstone. Surprisingly, there were obvious fresh footprints in front of the tombstone, as well as traces of recently burned incense and candles.

“Someone came to pay their respects.” Yuan Bingyan squatted down to examine the area. “And it was not long ago.”

Luo Fei analyzed, "Since the investigation into Xiao Dingkun's disappearance is ongoing, Li Wenxuan's parents may have been worried that they would be discovered if they came to pay their respects on Qingming Festival, so they came early."

He examined the footprints on the ground carefully, then suddenly frowned: "Wait. There are three different sets of footprints here."

Yuan Bingyan also noticed this: "Besides Li Wenxuan's parents, is there a third person?"

Luo Fei nodded: "Very likely. This means that besides Li Wenxuan's parents, there may be a third person involved in the kidnapping."

The two searched the area around the cemetery carefully. Suddenly, Luo Fei stopped in front of a seemingly ordinary patch of land. The soil there showed clear signs of having been disturbed.

Luo Fei crouched down and sniffed carefully with his exceptionally keen sense of smell. His expression immediately turned serious: "There's a putrid smell. There might be a corpse buried underneath."

He immediately took out his phone: "Notify the special task force to bring people and tools over to dig immediately. We may have found important evidence."

Yuan Bingyan stared in shock at the disturbed ground, finding it hard to imagine what might be buried underneath.

The special task force members quickly arrived at the cemetery with their tools and began digging in the area Luo Fei had pointed out. About half an hour later, the diggers suddenly stopped and looked up in horror.

"Captain Luo, there's a skeleton here." The excavator's voice trembled slightly.

Everyone gathered around and saw a complete adult skeleton emerging from the soil. Shockingly, the skeleton was buried in a kneeling position, facing Li Wenxuan's grave.

"Is this Xiao Dingkun?" a team member asked in a low voice.

Chen Yifan immediately denied it: "Impossible. Xiao Dingkun has only been missing for a little over a month, it's impossible for him to be reduced to just a skeleton so quickly. This body has been buried for at least several months."

Luo Fei crouched down to examine it carefully: "It's definitely not a recent burial. Su Muchen, could you try craniofacial reconstruction?"

Su Muchen nodded: "I'll give it a try." He took out his professional equipment and began scanning and modeling the skull.

However, after more than an hour of effort, Su Muchen's attempt to restore the skull was unsuccessful. "I'm sorry, Captain Luo, the skull injury is severe, and conventional methods are insufficient for accurate restoration."

Luo Fei pondered for a moment, then suddenly said, "Give me the paintbrush."

Amidst the astonished gazes of the crowd, Luo Fei took the paintbrush and canvas and began to draw based on the skull structure. His technique was professional and skillful, as if he had undergone specialized training.

In less than half an hour, a clear portrait of a human face appeared on the drawing paper. Su Muchen compared the skull structure in shock and said incredulously, "This is Xue Yuankai! Xue Yuankai, one of the missing persons!"

Everyone was stunned by Luo Fei's abilities, including professional forensic artist Su Muchen and Yuan Bingyan, who had always followed Luo Fei.

"Captain Luo, when did you learn craniofacial reconstruction?" Yuan Bingyan asked in surprise.

Luo Fei replied casually, "I learned it myself. Solving cases requires various skills."

Just then, Luo Fei noticed several other areas of unusual soil around him: "Here, here, and there, there are signs that the soil has been disturbed." (End of Chapter)