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

"Xuanran! Ke'er! Over here!" Luo Liang waved enthusiastically. He was a section chief at the Shanghai Tourism Bureau and had long harbored feelings for Chen Xuanran. Upon learning that she was coming, he specially took leave to pick her up at the airport.

Chen Xuanran greeted him politely, "Section Chief Luo, thank you for your trouble."

Luo Liang quickly replied, "No trouble at all! Just call me Luo Liang. Are you hungry? I know a really good restaurant."

Chen Xuanran declined, saying, "No need, we want to go to Huanghe Road Food Street to try some local snacks."

Luo Liang immediately replied, "Then I'll go with you! I know that place very well!"

Upon arriving at the food street, Luo Liang enthusiastically queued up to buy them the specialty pork rib rice cake. Zhu Ke'er seized the opportunity to say to Chen Xuanran, "Look how enthusiastic my cousin is; he's always had a crush on you."

Chen Xuanran said helplessly, "But I have a boyfriend."

Zhu Ke'er scoffed, "They're so far away, who knows what Luo Fei is doing? Why don't you test him?"

Chen Xuanran said confidently, "I believe in Luo Fei; he's not that kind of person."

While the two were chatting, Chen Xuanran accidentally bumped into a man, and the ice cream in her hand fell to the ground.

"I'm sorry!" Chen Xuanran quickly apologized. When she looked up, she was completely stunned—standing in front of her was Luo Fei, and the woman beside him was Yuan Bingyan!

The four of them looked at each other, and the atmosphere froze instantly.

"Luo Fei? Aren't you on a case?" Chen Xuanran's voice trembled.

Luo Fei was startled, but forced himself to remain calm: "Miss, you've mistaken me for someone else."

Zhu Ke'er immediately interjected, "Mistaken identity? Chen Xuanran is your girlfriend! And who is this woman next to you?"

Yuan Bingyan tried to explain, "We're colleagues, we're here together to solve a case."

Chen Xuanran wouldn't listen to a word, staring straight at Luo Fei: "I want you to tell me yourself, what exactly is going on?"

Knowing he couldn't tell the truth, Luo Fei, in desperation, decided to use his super hypnosis technique. He cupped Chen Xuanran's face, looked directly into her eyes, and said, "Xuanran, listen to me, we really are on a secret mission."

Although Chen Xuanran had studied how to build psychological defenses, she had no resistance at all because the other party was her most trusted boyfriend, and she was quickly hypnotized.

Luo Fei said softly, "You mistook me for someone else. I just look like your boyfriend, but we don't actually know each other. Now you'll forget this unpleasant experience and continue to enjoy your trip."

After the hypnosis ended, Luo Fei let go of Chen Xuanran's hand. Chen Xuanran rubbed his eyes in confusion, looking at Luo Fei and Yuan Bingyan with a puzzled expression.

"Sorry, I think I've mistaken you for someone else," Chen Xuanran muttered to herself. "I remember my boyfriend being a chubby older man."

Taking advantage of the situation, Luo Fei quickly pulled Yuan Bingyan away from the scene. Yuan Bingyan looked back anxiously, "Captain Luo, is this really okay?"

"This is the only way for now," Luo Fei said in a low voice. "We need to leave Shanghai as soon as possible."

Zhu Ke'er stared at Chen Xuanran in disbelief: "Xuanran, are you alright? That was clearly Luo Fei just now!"

Chen Xuanran shook her head: "Are you seeing things? My boyfriend isn't that handsome. Let's go, let's continue shopping."

Zhu Ke'er felt like her worldview was about to collapse, but seeing Chen Xuanran's confident expression, she could only helplessly follow along.

After Luo Fei and Yuan Bingyan finished their meal quickly, Yuan Bingyan suggested, "Let's go to the Bund to see the night view? The night view of Shanghai is beautiful."

Luo Fei declined, saying, "No, I've booked a flight for tomorrow morning and want to get some rest."

Yuan Bingyan was somewhat disappointed, but still respected his decision: "Then I'll take you to the hotel."

Luo Fei chose a hotel called Baroch. It was an old building from the last century, and although the exterior looked quite dated, the interior was decorated in a Mediterranean style and appeared to have been renovated in the last two years.

When checking in, the receptionist enthusiastically recommended: "Sir, we have a double room here for 680 yuan, which is very spacious and comfortable."

Luo Fei nodded: "This one will do."

After entering room 1408, Luo Fei carefully inspected it. The room was quite clean, but there was a faint, strange odor. He opened the sliding door to the balcony and found that it faced Huanghe Road, and he could vaguely see Chen Xuanran and Zhu Ke'er strolling below.

After showering, Luo Fei hung his underwear on the balcony to dry, then lay down on the bed to play some mobile games. At that moment, he noticed the room number was 1408, a number that seemed somewhat familiar.

Out of curiosity, he searched it on Baidu using his phone and discovered that the number was related to a horror movie called "1408: The Phantom Chamber." Intrigued, Luo Fei started watching the movie online.

As the movie progressed, Luo Fei felt the strange smell in the room getting stronger. He paused the movie, sniffed carefully, and confirmed that it wasn't his imagination.

"What's this smell?" Luo Fei muttered to himself as he got up and began searching for the source of the strange odor.

He checked the bathroom, the closet, and even under the bed, but found nothing unusual. Just as he was about to give up, he suddenly noticed that the mattress seemed to be thicker than normal.

Luo Fei forcefully lifted the mattress and immediately gasped – there was a woman's corpse hidden under the bed!

The body was somewhat decomposed, but the face was still recognizable. The deceased was about twenty years old, with delicate features, and was wearing a hotel waitress uniform. Most chillingly, her eyes were wide open, as if she had seen something extremely terrifying before she died.

Luo Fei immediately dialed Yuan Bingyan's number: "Bingyan, come to room 1408 right away. There's a murder."

Less than five minutes later, Yuan Bingyan arrived at the room. Seeing the body under the bed, she turned pale with fright: "Oh my god! What happened?"

Luo Fei calmly said, "Notify the local police, but don't make a fuss yet. I suspect there's something wrong with this hotel."

He examined the body closely: "The time of death was probably about a week ago. The deceased was a hotel employee, and it seems that he was murdered and hidden here."

Yuan Bingyan dialed the number with trembling hands: "Should we notify the Shanghai police?"

Luo Fei nodded: "Of course, but let me check the scene first."

He put on gloves and carefully examined the body: "There were no obvious external injuries, but there were ligature marks on the neck. He was probably strangled to death."

Just then, the corpse suddenly moved!
Yuan Bingyan screamed in fright and hid behind Luo Fei.

Luo Fei stared warily at the corpse, only to see its eyes slowly moving and staring straight at them!

"What...what's going on?" Yuan Bingyan's voice trembled.

Luo Fei frowned: "It's possible that the gases produced by the decomposition of the corpse caused the muscle contraction. But..."

Before he could finish speaking, the room lights suddenly flickered, the television turned on automatically, and static appeared on the screen.

A sinister voice came from the television: "Another one... another one."

Luo Fei immediately unplugged the TV, but the voice continued: "You will all die here, just like me."

Terrified, Yuan Bingyan grabbed Luo Fei's arm tightly: "Captain Luo, let's get out of here quickly!"

Luo Fei remained unusually calm: "No, I need to find out what happened. This might be the key to solving the case." He carefully examined every corner of the room and finally discovered a hidden camera and speaker in the air conditioning vent.

"So it turns out someone was just playing tricks," Luo Fei sneered. "It seems this murder case is more complicated than we imagined."

Just then, there was a knock on the door. A deep voice came from behind: "Room service."

After receiving a report, Luo Fei was taken to the local police station for questioning. A young police officer sat opposite him, looking him over with suspicion.

"You said you came to Shanghai for tourism?" The young policeman flipped through the records. "Why didn't you bring any luggage? You even hung your underwear out to dry after showering. That's not normal, is it?"

Luo Fei calmly replied, "It was a last-minute decision, and I didn't have time to pack my bags."

The young policeman sneered, "I don't think it's that simple. Tell me honestly, what are you doing in Shanghai? What's your relationship with that corpse under the bed?"

Luo Fei frowned: "I discovered the body as soon as I checked in and called the police immediately. You should investigate the hotel first, instead of questioning me here."

"Stop talking nonsense!" The young policeman slammed his fist on the table. "Answer my questions! Did you kill someone and hide the body?"

Luo Fei was enraged: "What kind of investigative attitude is this? Do you have any evidence?"

The young policeman got angry too: "I think you're the murderer! Believe me or not, I'll arrest you right now!"

Luo Fei suddenly stood up, pulled out his badge, and slammed it on the table: "Look carefully! I am a Level 3 Police Inspector of the National Security Bureau, the head of the Special Case Team! Call your station chief here!"

The young policeman picked up the ID, looked at it, and suddenly burst out laughing: "National Security Level 3 Police Supervisor? Head of the Special Case Team? You're kidding me! A bureau chief at such a young age? Forging documents is a serious crime!"

Other police officers gathered around upon hearing the commotion. Station Chief Liu Yong also arrived at the scene, took the identification documents, and examined them carefully.

“This badge looks genuine,” Liu Yong frowned. “But a third-level police superintendent in his twenties? That’s unlikely, isn’t it?”

A middle-aged policeman also came over to take a look: "The document's craftsmanship does look authentic, but the age doesn't match."

Liu Yong asked Luo Fei sternly, "Where did you get this ID?"

Luo Fei said solemnly, "I am the head of the National Security Special Case Team, and I will soon take office as the director of the 18th Bureau of the National Security. You can call to confirm."

The police officers burst into laughter, all thinking he was bragging. But Liu Yong still had his men call to confirm.

A few minutes later, the policeman who made the call rushed back in a panic: "Chief... ID... the ID is real! He really is the head of the National Security Special Case Unit, a third-level police supervisor!"

The entire police station fell silent. The young policeman's face turned ashen, and his hands began to tremble.

Liu Yong quickly apologized: "Team Leader Luo, I'm so sorry! We were blind to your greatness!"

The young policeman bowed repeatedly, saying, "Team Leader Luo, I was wrong! I shouldn't have questioned you!"

Luo Fei waved his hand: "Forget it, ignorance is no excuse. But this young comrade," he pointed to the young policeman, "has a problem with his attitude, write a self-criticism."

The young policeman quickly nodded: "Yes, yes, I will definitely write a serious self-criticism!"

Liu Yong said respectfully, "Team Leader Luo, please come to my office for a while?"

Luo Fei shook his head: "Let's finish taking statements first. The murder case is the priority."

The young policeman immediately adopted a respectful attitude and carefully took Luo Fei's statement. This time, he dared not be negligent in the slightest and asked every question with utmost care.

After taking the statement, Luo Fei said to Liu Yong, "This case is not simple. The deceased was a hotel employee who was murdered and hidden under the bed. I suspect that someone inside the hotel is involved."

Liu Yong immediately replied, "We will fully cooperate with the National Security Bureau in handling the case! Just let us know if you need any support!"

Luo Fei pondered for a moment: "First, retrieve the hotel's recent surveillance footage, focusing on those who entered and exited room 1408 a week ago. Also, investigate the deceased's social relationships."

"Understood!" Liu Yong immediately arranged for people to carry it out.

Just then, Luo Fei's phone rang. It was Yuan Bingyan calling: "Captain Luo, where are you? Are you alright?"

"I'm giving a statement at the police station," Luo Fei replied. "How's it going on your end?"

Yuan Bingyan said, "I am cooperating with the investigation at the hotel. The police said the deceased's name is Lin Xiaoxue, 23 years old, and she is a hotel room attendant. She has been missing for a week."

Luo Fei frowned: "It took a week to be discovered after the hotel disappeared? There's something wrong with the hotel management."

After hanging up the phone, Luo Fei said to Liu Yong, "Director Liu, this case may involve dereliction of duty or even cover-up by the hotel management. I suggest setting up a joint investigation team."

Liu Yong immediately nodded: "Okay! I'll report to the branch office right away!"

Luo Fei added, "Please keep my identity confidential. Just say I'm an advisor sent by the National Security Bureau."

"Understood, understood!" Liu Yong replied repeatedly.

The young policeman brought over a cup of tea and respectfully placed it in front of Luo Fei: "Team Leader Luo, please have some tea. I'm truly sorry about earlier."

Luo Fei smiled and said, "It's alright, you were just doing your job. But you should pay attention to your methods in handling cases in the future."

The young policeman blushed and nodded, "I will definitely correct my mistake!"

The police officers in the lobby whispered among themselves, occasionally glancing at Luo Fei with surprised eyes. They found it hard to believe that this young man, who looked no more than twenty years old, was actually a Level 3 Police Inspector of the National Security Bureau.

"So young and already a bureau chief? That's unbelievable!"

"The people from the National Security Bureau are indeed all extraordinary."

"I heard he's solved a lot of big cases!"

Although everyone was curious about Luo Fei's background, they also understood that the National Security Bureau's information was confidential and dared not inquire too much. The atmosphere in the entire police station became solemn and respectful.

After giving his statement, Luo Fei learned more details about the case from Liu Yong. The deceased was an 18-year-old girl named Du Xiaowan, and her body had been sent to the Shanghai Criminal Investigation Center for an autopsy. Although the specific cause of death was not yet clear, the fact that the body was hidden under the bed suggested it was likely homicide.

Since the Huanghe Road Police Station was not qualified to investigate this type of criminal case, the case should have been transferred to the Municipal Criminal Investigation Team. But Luo Fei saw an opportunity.

"Chief Liu, let's hand this case over to our National Security Special Case Team," Luo Fei suggested. "The Municipal Criminal Investigation Team can assist in the investigation."

Liu Yong was somewhat surprised: "Is this appropriate? After all, this is a local case."

Luo Fei said firmly, "I have a feeling this case is not simple. The special case team happens to be on a mission in Shanghai, so we can investigate it together."

Seeing Luo Fei's insistence, Liu Yong had no choice but to agree: "Alright, I'll report to the Municipal Bureau right away." (End of Chapter)