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

Zhu Xuanyang warmly invited, "Since we've met, why don't you come to my house for a visit? I can also introduce you to my new partner."

Luo Fei followed Zhu Xuanyang to a villa near the clubhouse. A familiar face opened the door—Pan Meilian.

"Captain Luo?" Pan Meilian looked at Luo Fei in surprise. "What brings you here?"

Luo Fei was also stunned: "Meilian? What are you doing here?"

Zhu Xuanyang explained with a smile, "Meilian is with me now. We live in Shanghai and are very happy."

Pan Meilian was an old acquaintance of Luo Fei's, and used to run a massage parlor in Jiangcheng. Unexpectedly, she is now being kept by Zhu Xuanyang, earning an annual salary of 120 million yuan.

Zhu Xuanyang asked Pan Meilian to prepare dinner, while he took Luo Fei to the study. The two chatted while drinking coffee.

“I’m already 80 this year,” Zhu Xuanyang sighed. “Meilian is still so young. I don’t want to be a burden to her and make her a widow.”

Luo Fei comforted him, "Master Zhu is joking. With your excellent health, you will definitely live to be 100 years old."

Pan Meilian busied herself in the kitchen for over half an hour, then brought out a table laden with a sumptuous meal. She took off her apron and called out towards the study, "Dinner's ready!"

Luo Fei and Zhu Xuanyang walked out of the study. Seeing the table full of dishes, Luo Fei exclaimed, "Meilian, your cooking skills are getting better and better."

Pan Meilian smiled modestly, "It was just something I made. What kind of wine would you like to drink?"

Zhu Xuanyang said, "Let's drink the Louis XIII that President Ouyang gave me; I've been holding back from opening it."

While Pan Meilian went to the wine cabinet to get some wine, Luo Fei took the opportunity to ask Zhu Xuanyang, "Master Zhu, are you and President Ouyang very familiar with each other?"

Zhu Xuanyang nodded: "He's an old friend. He often asks me to look at feng shui, and recently he even asked me to set up an array for the Firefly Forest."

Luo Fei's heart skipped a beat: "What kind of formation?"

Zhu Xuanyang smiled mysteriously: "It's not convenient to talk about this. President Ouyang specifically instructed me to keep it a secret."

Just then, Pan Meilian returned with the wine. She poured wine for the three of them, and Zhu Xuanyang raised his glass: "Come, let's drink to our reunion!"

During the meal, Luo Fei subtly inquired about Ouyang Zhenghua's situation. Although Zhu Xuanyang was talkative, he avoided discussing matters concerning the Ouyang family.

Luo Fei realized that Zhu Xuanyang was shrewd and that it wouldn't be easy to get the truth out of him. So he decided to use the alcohol to lower Zhu Xuanyang's guard.

At the dinner table, Luo Fei took the initiative to offer a toast: "Master Zhu, let me toast you!"

Pan Meilian also raised her glass in response: "I'd like to toast Master Zhu as well!"

The two men took turns toasting Zhu Xuanyang, quickly getting him quite tipsy. Zhu Xuanyang, no longer wary of Luo Fei, began to speak casually.

Taking the opportunity, Luo Fei steered the conversation toward Ouyang Zhenghua: "Master Zhu, what exactly does President Ouyang want to see you about?"

Although slightly tipsy, Zhu Xuanyang remained cautious: "This... is not convenient to say."

Luo Fei suddenly had a bright idea: "To be honest, I bought shares in Huaxiong Group. I heard the Ouyang family has some kind of 'heir curse'? Could that affect the stock price?"

After hearing this, Zhu Xuanyang shook his head: "Xiao Luo, take my advice and sell your stocks right away."

Luo Fei was unwilling to give up and gave Pan Meilian a wink.

Pan Meilian understood, took Zhu Xuanyang's arm, and said coquettishly, "Master Zhu, we're all on the same side, please tell me~"

Zhu Xuanyang still hesitated: "This... I really can't say."

Pan Meilian pretended to be angry and stood up: "Since you don't treat me like one of your own, then I'll pack my things and go back to Jiangcheng!"

Zhu Xuanyang quickly grabbed her: "No, no, no! I'll talk, I'll talk, okay?"

He lowered his voice: "President Ouyang asked me to come here to break the curse of the Ouyang family. The curse that their patriarch cannot live past 50 years old has lasted for 500 years, and every generation of heirs has died suddenly before the age of 50."

Luo Fei pressed further, "Where did this curse come from?"

Zhu Xuanyang explained, “Five hundred years ago, Ouyang Xun, the ancestor of the Ouyang family, was a disciple of a Taoist master. But he fell in love with a woman and secretly left the Taoist temple. His master, in a fit of anger, cast a soul-collecting spell on him, causing him to die suddenly without illness. Since then, no heir of the Ouyang family has been able to escape this curse.”

Pan Meilian asked in surprise, "Then can you lift this curse?"

Zhu Xuanyang shook his head: "I can only try, I'm not 100% sure. That's why I advised Xiao Luo to sell the stocks."

After leaving Zhu Xuanyang's house, Luo Fei fell into deep thought. He was puzzled: Ouyang Zhenghua was less than half a month away from his 51st birthday, yet he had recently taken beautiful women on a sea trip, seemingly unhurried. Had he already accepted this fate?

The next day, Zhou Xiaobei brought a bombshell: "Captain Luo! Ouyang Zhenghua announced today that he is stepping down as chairman of Huaxiong Group and transferring all his shares to his son, Ouyang Xiu!"

Chen Yifan said in surprise, "They're handing over the shift so quickly? Has Ouyang Zhenghua really resigned himself to his fate?"

Wang Feifei analyzed, "Perhaps he is making final preparations? Knowing that his days are numbered, he is arranging everything in advance?"

Luo Fei frowned: "Things aren't that simple. Ouyang Zhenghua isn't one to give up easily. The fact that he sought Zhu Xuanyang to break the curse means he's still struggling."

Yuan Bingyan asked, "Would there be any special conditions required to break the curse? Like, would it require a sacrifice or something?"

This made everyone stunned.

Luo Fei suddenly stood up: "Du Xiaowan! Could her death be related to the breaking of the curse?"

Chen Xuanran asked doubtfully, "But Du Xiaowan is just an ordinary college student, what could be so special about her?"

Wu Peixiong speculated: "Perhaps there's something special about her birth date and time? Or maybe she has some kind of destiny?"

Luo Fei immediately ordered: "Xiao Bei, check Du Xiaowan's detailed information, especially her birth time. Yi Fan, check the death records of the Ouyang family's successors to see if there are any patterns."

The special task force sprang into action again. Luo Fei stood before the whiteboard, looking at the photos of Ouyang Zhenghua and Du Xiaowan, a terrifying thought rising in his mind: perhaps Du Xiaowan's death was related to some evil ritual performed by the Ouyang family to break the curse.

If this is true, then Ouyang Zhenghua is very likely the mastermind behind it all. And his handover might not be an act of resignation, but rather a way to ensure his son's smooth succession after the "curse" failed to be broken.

Just then, Hu Wei's girlfriend found Luo Fei and handed him a USB drive.

“This was sent to me by Hu Wei before his death. He said that if anything happened to him, he should give this to the police.”

Zhou Xiaobei immediately plugged the USB drive into the computer, and all the members of the special case team gathered around. The video began to play: in the video, Du Xiaowan had just finished showering and was putting on her underwear.

Suddenly, a dark figure fell from the balcony, and Du Xiaowan screamed in fright. The dark figure was Xu Dongchuan. He grabbed Du Xiaowan by the neck, and in the struggle, Du Xiaowan tore off his mask, revealing his true face.

After strangling Du Xiaowan with a rope, Xu Dongchuan hid her body under the bed.

"My God!" Chen Xuanran covered her mouth. "It really is Xu Dongchuan!" Luo Fei immediately ordered, "Arrest Xu Dongchuan immediately! Xiao Bei, Pei Xiong, you take men to arrest him! Xuanran, you come with me to the Municipal Criminal Investigation Team. I need to see Du Xiaowan's body again."

In the city's criminal investigation team's morgue, Luo Fei carefully examined Du Xiaowan's body. He noticed that the ligature marks on the left and right sides of Du Xiaowan's neck were different; the right ligature mark was deeper than the left.

"The murderer is left-handed!" Luo Fei concluded.

They returned to room 1408 of the hotel. Luo Fei examined the groove marks on the balcony ceiling and found that one side was deeper: "Sure enough! The murderer applied force from the left, so the marks are deeper on the left."

When they returned to the temporary command center, Xu Dongchuan had already been brought back. He appeared calm and sat silently in the interrogation room.

Luo Fei used his "genius eye" to observe Xu Dongchuan and was surprised to find that there was no criminal information on his head.

"Xu Dongchuan, where are you at 10 PM on April 3rd?" Luo Fei asked.

Xu Dongchuan calmly replied, "I was working overtime at the company. There are surveillance cameras and attendance records to prove it."

Luo Fei played the video from the USB drive. Xu Dongchuan's expression changed slightly after seeing the video, but he quickly regained his composure.

“That’s impossible.” Xu Dongchuan shook his head. “I was indeed at the company that day. The person in the video may look like me, but it’s definitely not me.”

Zhou Xiaobei retrieved the surveillance footage from Huaxiong Group, which indeed showed that Xu Dongchuan stayed at the company that night and did not leave.

Chen Yifan suggested, "Could the video have been tampered with?"

After examining the video, Wu Peixiong shook his head: "There are no signs of editing in the video. Moreover, the moment Du Xiaowan pulled off her mask, it was clearly Xu Dongchuan's face."

Wang Feifei asked in confusion, "Then how do you explain Xu Dongchuan appearing in two places at the same time?"

Luo Fei pondered for a moment: "There is only one possibility—the person in the video is not Xu Dongchuan, but someone who looks exactly like him."

Xu Dongchuan suddenly said, "I remember now! I had a twin brother, but he died at birth. Could it be..."

Luo Fei pressed further, "Are you sure he died young?"

Xu Dongchuan hesitated, "That's what my parents said. But I've never seen his grave."

The interrogation was temporarily suspended. Luo Fei told Xu Dongchuan to go back first, but asked him to cooperate with the investigation at any time.

The special task force members held a meeting to discuss this bizarre case.

Yuan Bingyan analyzed, "If Xu Dongchuan really has a twin brother, then everything makes sense."

Su Muchen asked, "But why kill Du Xiaowan? What was the motive?"

Chen Xuanran speculated: "Perhaps it's related to the curse of the Ouyang family? Du Xiaowan might be a sacrifice to break the curse?"

Luo Fei ordered, "Yifan, go investigate Xu Dongchuan's family background, especially regarding his twin brother. Xiaobei, continue analyzing the video and see if you can find more clues."

Zhou Xiaobei suddenly said, "Captain Luo! There's a detail in the video! The killer has a tattoo on his left wrist!"

Everyone immediately gathered around. The video paused at the moment the killer strangled Du Xiaowan, and a strange symbol tattoo could be clearly seen on the killer's left wrist.

"Investigate this tattoo immediately!" Luo Fei ordered. "Also, check if Xu Dongchuan has a tattoo on his left wrist."

Soon, the investigation results came out: Xu Dongchuan had no tattoos on his left wrist.

"It really isn't the same person! The most important thing now is to find the person who looks exactly like Xu Dongchuan!"

After several days of investigation, Wang Feifei and Wu Peixiong brought back an astonishing discovery.

"Captain Luo, Xu Dongchuan's parents may have been professional assassins for the 'Blueberry' organization," Wang Feifei reported. "They were both orphans who suddenly disappeared when they were 12 years old and reappeared at the age of 27 and got married."

Wu Peixiong added: "When Xu Dongchuan was 3 years old, they started a building materials business and settled in Shanghai. But in 2007, something happened: Xu Dongchuan was kidnapped but released in less than a day. At the same time, the police found three bodies in an abandoned factory, all of which came from the 'Blueberry' organization."

Luo Fei's eyes narrowed: "Xu Dongchuan's parents killed the kidnappers in retaliation?"

Zhou Xiaobei speculated: "They may have joined 'Blueberry' and become assassins, but later wanted to quit. However, the organization disagreed, so they kidnapped their children. In the end, they killed the kidnappers and may have reached some kind of agreement with the organization."

Chen Yifan suggested, "Could that assassin who looks exactly like Xu Dongchuan be his twin brother? Was he trained as an assassin by the 'Blueberry' organization?"

Luo Fei then asked, "What's the progress of the investigation into Xu Dongchuan's girlfriend?"

Chen Yifan reported: "There is a strange phenomenon. Xu Dongchuan's girlfriend said that although Xu Dongchuan has always been right-handed, she once noticed that he subconsciously used his left hand to hold chopsticks and eat, and only switched back to his right hand after being discovered."

This detail suddenly gave Luo Fei a flash of inspiration: "I understand!"

He immediately took Chen Xuanran to Xucheng, Xu Dongchuan's birthplace. After making inquiries, they found the old doctor who had been in charge of Xu Dongchuan's delivery.

The old doctor recalled: "There was indeed a pair of twins. Their parents bribed me to only issue one birth certificate and to tell the public that they had only given birth to one child."

Luo Fei pressed further, "Why did you do that?"

The old doctor shook his head: "I don't know. They only said the family is poor and can't afford to raise two children."

On the way back to Shanghai, Luo Fei and Chen Xuanran discussed the discovery.

“I understand,” Luo Fei analyzed. “Xu Dongchuan’s parents let their two children share one identity. One lives a normal life in the open, while the other receives assassin training in the shadows. When needed, they can switch places to create a perfect alibi.”

Chen Xuanran said in shock, "So Xu Dongchuan's girlfriend might be dating two people at the same time, and she doesn't even know it?"

Luo Fei nodded: "That's right. That's why she sometimes sees Xu Dongchuan eating with his left hand—he's his twin brother!"

They further speculated that this "identity-sharing" model, while complex, is indeed feasible. The two children take turns attending school, socializing, and working, maintaining a consistent identity. If one child is injured or sick, the other can take their place, perfectly concealing the situation.

Upon returning to the command center, Luo Fei immediately ordered: "Attention everyone! Encircle and capture Xu Dongchuan immediately!"

The special task force members acted swiftly, rushing to Xu Dongchuan's residence. When they broke down the door, they were astonished to find two identical Xu Dongchuans inside!
"Don't move!" Luo Fei shouted, raising his gun.

Both Xu Dongchuans raised their hands, their expressions differing. One was panicked, the other unusually calm.

Luo Fei stared at the calm man: "You're the one who killed Du Xiaowan and Hu Wei in the video, right?"

The composed Xu Dongchuan smiled slightly: "That's right, I am Xu Dongming."

In the interrogation room, Xu Dongming readily confessed to everything. (End of Chapter)