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

"Back to the hotel!" Luo Fei ordered. "Thoroughly search room 1408!"

The special task force members returned to the Baroch Hotel. After a thorough search, Chen Yifan suddenly shouted, "Found it!"

A tiny pinhole camera was hidden in a crack in the ceiling!

Luo Fei immediately instructed technicians to extract the footage from the cameras. Sure enough, they found a large number of private videos of hotel guests.

"Hu Wei may have filmed the murderer committing the crime!" Luo Fei analyzed. "He tried to blackmail the murderer, which resulted in his own death!"

Zhou Xiaobei retrieved the camera footage and discovered that the content from the evening of April 3rd had been deleted!

"The killer was very cautious and deleted the records after committing the crime," Luo Fei frowned. "But Hu Wei might have made a backup."

Wang Feifei suggested, "Hu Wei's computer might still have backups!"

The special task force immediately conducted an in-depth search of Hu Wei's computer. Sure enough, they found surveillance footage from the evening of April 3rd in an encrypted folder!

The video footage shows that at 9:40 p.m., a dark figure sneaked into room 1408 from the balcony, briefly struggled with Du Xiaowan, strangled her to death, and then hid the body under the bed. The entire process took less than five minutes.

However, due to the blurry image, the killer's face was not clearly visible. It could only be determined that the killer was about 175cm tall and of slender build.

"The killer is very professional," Luo Fei analyzed. "The movements were clean and efficient; he must be a professional hitman."

Chen Xuanran suddenly said, "Since Hu Wei has this video, why doesn't he report it to the police? Instead, he tries to blackmail the murderer?"

Yuan Bingyan speculated, "He probably wanted to make a quick buck. I never expected the killer to be so ruthless."

Luo Fei ordered: "Immediately investigate everyone who has been in contact with Hu Wei! Focus on his recent call records and bank statements!"

Soon, Zhou Xiaobei made a discovery: "The day before Hu Wei died, there was an extra 20 yuan transferred into his account! It came from an overseas account!"

Wu Peixiong added, "Call records show that Hu Wei received a three-minute internet call before his death."

Luo Fei's eyes narrowed: "The murderer first wired money to keep Hu Wei quiet, then lured him to the dock to silence him! What a ruthless method!"

Su Muchen suggested, "Should we summon Ouyang Xiu? He is very likely involved in these two murder cases."

Luo Fei shook his head: "Without direct evidence, summoning someone of this caliber is too risky. Continue the investigation covertly."

Just then, Chen Yifan made a major discovery: "Captain Luo! I've found it! The ultimate source of funds in that overseas account is a subsidiary of Huaxiong Group!"

The special investigation team members were shocked. The case really seemed to point to Ouyang Xiu!
Luo Fei pondered for a moment: "Don't alert them yet. Continue to gather evidence, and take action only when the chain of evidence is complete."

Luo Fei thoroughly searched Hu Wei's residence but found no video files, presumably because they had been deleted. He decided to question the hotel owner.

At first, the boss, Hu Tianming, stammered and pretended not to know anything. Seeing this, Luo Fei quietly activated the hypnosis technique.

Under hypnosis, the boss finally confessed: "I accidentally saw a video of myself and the receptionist while browsing pornographic websites. That's how I found out my son had installed a camera in the hotel and was selling the videos for money."

His voice trembled: "My wife is very strict; she would kill me if she found out. I told my son to stop this behavior, but he threatened me with the video of me."

"After the murder at the hotel, I tried several times to remove the security cameras, but I was unsuccessful. Later, when my son was killed, I quickly deleted all the videos from his room."

After Luo Fei dispelled the hypnosis, the boss looked around blankly, seemingly unable to remember what he had just said.

The case has once again reached a stalemate. For several days in a row, the special task force has made no new progress.

After arriving in Shanghai, Chen Xuanran moved into the command center provided by Yuan Bingyan. Surprisingly, the two girls got along very well and didn't have any conflicts. Yuan Bingyan would go home every day after get off work, giving Chen Xuanran some space.

Wang Feifei privately remarked, "Bingyan is truly magnanimous."

Luo Fei said seriously, "Stop gossiping and focus on the case."

Just then, Wu Peixiong rushed back excitedly: "Team Leader Luo! We've found something! We filmed a video at the scaffolding rental yard a few kilometers away from where Hu Wei was killed!"

In the video, a man wearing a long black trench coat looks very similar to someone previously filmed on the street opposite the hotel.

Luo Fei immediately asked Zhou Xiaobei to compare the two videos. The results showed that the two men's height, build, and walking posture were almost identical.

"The murderer is male, about 175 centimeters tall," Luo Fei analyzed. "Judging from the fact that his chest did not vibrate when he walked, it can be confirmed that he is male."

Chen Yifan asked curiously, "Your chest vibrates when you walk? What's the basis for that judgment?"

Luo Fei explained, "Women's chests will vibrate slightly when they walk, while men's will not. This is common knowledge in forensic anthropology."

The video shows a man in black entering a beef noodle shop. Although there were no security cameras inside, Luo Fei speculated, "He couldn't possibly have been wearing a mask the whole time he was eating; someone in the shop might have seen him!"

The special task force members were immediately invigorated. This was the most concrete lead they had received since the case began!
Luo Fei immediately ordered, "Yifan, Muchen, go investigate that beef noodle restaurant. Feifei, Peixiong, check the surrounding shops to see if any other surveillance cameras have captured this person."

Chen Xuanran volunteered: "I'll go help too!"

Yuan Bingyan smiled and said, "Okay, let's do it together."

The two girls smiled at each other, and the atmosphere was harmonious. Luo Fei secretly breathed a sigh of relief when he saw this.

Upon arriving at the beef noodle shop, the owner recalled, "There was indeed a man in a black trench coat who came to eat noodles that day. He was wearing a mask, but he took it off when he ordered. He was probably in his thirties, with an ordinary appearance, and I don't remember him much."

Chen Yifan pressed further, "Does he have an accent? Does he make any unusual movements?"

The shopkeeper thought for a moment: "His accent... seems like a local. As for his movements, his left hand was always in his pocket while he was eating noodles, which was a bit strange."

Su Muchen carefully examined the noodle shop's surroundings: "It's very close to the scaffolding yard; the murderer may have scouted the place beforehand."

Back at the command center, the special task force compiled the investigation results.

Zhou Xiaobei reported: "We've checked the surveillance footage from all the surrounding shops, but there wasn't any clearer footage. The killer was very cautious, deliberately choosing blind spots in the surveillance cameras."

Wang Feifei added: "The owner of the scaffolding yard said that the man in black went to rent scaffolding, saying he was going to renovate his house. But the phone number he left was not in service."

Wu Peixiong analyzed: "The murderer may have rented scaffolding to escape the scene after committing the crime. Descending from the roof with ropes does require some professional tools."

Luo Fei pondered for a moment: "Continue to investigate all scaffolding rental locations for any other clues. At the same time, focus on investigating personnel related to the Huaxiong Group." Chen Xuanran suddenly said, "Captain Luo, should we check Ouyang Xiu's whereabouts that day? Although the 'Genius Eye' shows he wasn't lying, perhaps he's hiding something?"

Luo Fei nodded: "Good idea. Feifei, go and check Ouyang Xiu's detailed itinerary on the day the case occurred."

Luo Fei, Wu Peixiong, and Su Muchen went to the noodle shop with their drawing boards and paper, and Chen Xuanran went along as well. Upon arriving at the noodle shop, Luo Fei revealed his identity and asked the owner if he had seen the man.

After careful recollection, the owner said, "There was indeed a man in a black trench coat who came to eat noodles that day. When I served him the noodles, he took off his mask, and I glanced at him. He was probably in his thirties, with a fairly ordinary appearance, and I don't remember him in any particular way."

Su Muchen immediately began drawing a portrait based on her boss's description. As she drew, she asked, "What do the eyes look like? The nose? The lips—thick or thin?"

The boss tried hard to recall: "His eyes were neither big nor small, his nose was straight, and his lips were neither thick nor thin. He had a very ordinary appearance, nothing special."

Su Muchen quickly finished the portrait. When Luo Fei saw it, he was astonished to find that the man bore a striking resemblance to Xu Dongchuan!
"Isn't this Xu Dongchuan?" Chen Xuanran recognized him too.

Wu Peixiong frowned: "But Xu Dongchuan has an alibi. He was working at Huaxiong Group at the time of the incident, and there are fingerprint attendance records and surveillance footage to prove it."

Luo Fei pondered, "Indeed. I used 'Genius Eye' to examine Xu Dongchuan before, and he had no criminal record. But this portrait looks too much like him."

Su Muchen added, "The chances of two people who look exactly alike but are not related by blood are extremely low, about one in 6 million. This means that in the entire Great Xia, there are no more than two people who look very similar to Xu Dongchuan."

Luo Fei immediately instructed Zhou Xiaobei to retrieve Xu Dongchuan's detailed information.

Soon, Zhou Xiaobei reported: "Xu Dongchuan, born on June 12, 1996, is from Hong Kong City, Nanhai Province. He graduated from Shanghai University of Economics and Business and joined Huaxiong Group two years ago, working in the planning and marketing department, with average performance. He is an only child, and his parents sell door sets in a building materials market in Shanghai. He has a girlfriend, Wu Xiaoxia, whom he has been dating for a year, but they do not live together."

Luo Fei pressed further, "Can you confirm if he has a twin brother?"

Zhou Xiaobei replied, "It's been confirmed. He's an only child and has no siblings."

Chen Yifan suggested, "Could it be that she had plastic surgery to look like Xu Dongchuan?"

Wang Feifei shook her head: "Even plastic surgery can't make you look exactly the same. And why would you want to get plastic surgery to look like Xu Dongchuan? It doesn't make sense."

Luo Fei ordered: "Focus on investigating the connection between Xu Dongchuan and Hu Wei. Check their call records and bank statements to see if there's any overlap."

Yuan Bingyan suddenly said, "I remember now! Xu Dongchuan said that he was asked by Ouyang Xiu to take Du Xiaowan to the hotel. Could it be that Ouyang Xiu is using him?"

Chen Xuanran analyzed: "If the man in black is Xu Dongchuan's double, then Ouyang Xiu might not even know of his existence."

Luo Fei's eyes sharpened: "Investigate Xu Dongchuan's recent whereabouts! Especially whether he was at the company on the day of the incident!"

Wu Peixiong immediately contacted Huaxiong Group to retrieve detailed surveillance footage from the day of the incident.

An hour later, the results came out: Xu Dongchuan was indeed at the company on the day of the incident, and multiple surveillance videos proved that he had not left Huaxiong International Building.

“That’s strange,” Luo Fei frowned. “If Xu Dongchuan is at the company, then who is this person who looks exactly like him?”

Zhou Xiaobei suggested, "Could it be that Xu Dongchuan deliberately created an alibi? For example, did he hire someone to impersonate him at the company?"

Su Muchen shook his head: "Huaxiong Group has very strict security; you need to swipe your card to enter and exit. The possibility of impersonation is unlikely."

The case reached a stalemate once again. Luo Fei stood in front of the whiteboard, looking at Xu Dongchuan's photo and the portrait of the man in black, completely baffled.

Chen Xuanran said softly, "Captain Luo, should we summon Xu Dongchuan again? Maybe he's hiding something."

Luo Fei nodded: "Okay. Yifan, Feifei, go and invite Xu Dongchuan over. Be careful with your attitude, don't alert him."

An hour later, Xu Dongchuan returned to the temporary command center. He looked somewhat nervous: "Team Leader Luo, is there anything else I can help with?"

Luo Fei pushed the portrait of the man in black in front of him: "Do you know this person?"

Upon seeing the portrait, Xu Dongchuan's face instantly turned pale: "This...this is me! But what's with this portrait?"

Luo Fei carefully observed his reaction: "On the evening of April 3rd, someone photographed this person on Huanghe Road. But you were at the company the whole day, right?"

Xu Dongchuan nodded hurriedly: "That's right! I worked overtime at the company until very late, and there's CCTV footage to prove it! This person isn't me!"

Luo Fei used his "Genius Eye" to confirm that Xu Dongchuan was not lying. He truly did not recognize the man in black.

"Do you have any brothers you've lost for many years?" Luo Fei pressed.

Xu Dongchuan shook his head: "I am an only child. My parents only have one child."

After the questioning, Xu Dongchuan left. The members of the special case team looked at each other, all finding it unbelievable.

Wang Feifei exclaimed, "Are there really people in this world who look so alike?"

Chen Yifan said, "We actually stumbled upon a one in 6 million chance."

Luo Fei pondered for a moment: "No matter how small the chances are, since there is a possibility, we must continue the investigation. Xiao Bei, expand the search scope and look for people who look similar to Xu Dongchuan in the national database."

Zhou Xiaobei said with difficulty, "Team Leader Luo, the national population database contains over a billion people; searching like this would be too much work."

Luo Fei said firmly, "No matter how big the case is, we must investigate! This person could very well be the murderer!"

The special task force members returned to work. Despite the challenges ahead, everyone was determined to unravel the mystery of the "twins." Luo Fei had a vague feeling that this mysterious man in black might be the key to solving the case.

Zhou Xiaobei suddenly reported an important discovery: "Captain Luo! Hu Wei called Xu Dongchuan before he was murdered, and the call lasted only ten seconds! Moreover, the surveillance footage shows that Hu Wei went to the Huaxiong Group headquarters and met with Xu Dongchuan!"

Chen Yifan immediately speculated: "Xu Dongchuan might be the murderer!"

But Wu Peixiong raised a question: "But Xu Dongchuan has an alibi. He was at work at the company when the incident occurred, and the surveillance footage clearly shows it."

Zhou Xiaobei added, "Moreover, the company's attendance records show that he has indeed never left."

Wang Feifei proposed a bold hypothesis: "Could it be that Xu Dongchuan hired an assassin to impersonate him and commit the crime? Although this kind of disguise cannot be seen closely, it is enough to deceive the cameras."

Luo Fei pondered, "This assassin is no ordinary person. Not only is he ruthless, but he also deliberately disrupted our investigation."

Lacking other leads in the case, Luo Fei assigned two teams to separately track Ouyang Xiu and Xu Dongchuan. (End of Chapter)