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

“I know.” Luo Fei’s tone was calm, as if he had already known everything. “Why did you become Blueberry’s killer? It’s related to your parents, isn’t it?”

Upon hearing this, the girl trembled almost imperceptibly, a hint of pain and reminiscence flashing in her eyes: "You...you really did find something...That's right, my parents were once among Blueberry's top assassins. Back then, our family moved to the apartment below yours to carry out a long-term surveillance and close-in mission..."

Her voice lowered: "They were tired of killing and wanted to leave the organization and live ordinary lives... But because of me, I was controlled by the organization... They had to continue working for Blueberry in exchange for my safety... Later, they failed in a mission and never came back... The organization's people took me away and told me they were dead..."

I endured a long period of grueling, relentless training at the base… To survive, I had no choice but to become the weapon they wanted… Last time, the organization sent me to kill you, but… I couldn’t bring myself to do it, so I had to fake the mission failure…”

As she spoke, she looked up, tears welling in her eyes, and pleaded with Luo Fei, "Brother Luo Fei... can I... hug you? Like when we were little..."

Looking at her face, which was identical to Han Zixuan's, and her sorrowful expression, Luo Fei remained silent for a few seconds before finally slowly opening his arms.

The girl slowly stepped forward, threw herself into his arms, and buried her face in his shoulder. However, in this seemingly tender moment, a sharp dagger silently slid out from the cuff of the girl's hand hanging at Luo Fei's waist, the tip aimed at Luo Fei's kidney area, about to plunge in!

At this critical moment, Luo Fei suddenly spoke, his voice as cold as ice: "You are not Han Zixuan."

The girl froze instantly!
She shoved Luo Fei away abruptly, leaped backward, and without hesitation discarded her dagger. With lightning speed, she drew a compact pistol from her thigh holster, the muzzle pointing directly at Luo Fei's forehead! The entire sequence of movements was fluid and incredibly fast, fully demonstrating her rigorously trained assassin nature.

"How did you know?!"

The girl's face was filled with horror and disbelief, and her voice trembled. "Even the people in the organization who know her best can't tell us apart! We not only look alike, but our height, weight, voice habits, and even... even the brand of perfume we use are exactly the same! How could you possibly recognize us?!"

Luo Fei stood still, seemingly oblivious to the gun barrel, coldly staring at her: "I held the 'dead' Han Zixuan. Her feeling was different from yours. Tell me, who exactly are you? What is your relationship with Han Zixuan? Why do you look exactly the same?"

The girl's eyes flashed violently, and her grip on the gun seemed to tighten. She threatened sharply, "Stand still! If you move again, I'll shoot!"

Luo Fei suddenly revealed a mocking sneer, and even took a small step forward, saying calmly, "Shoot? You can try. I'll stand here without moving. If you can kill me with one shot, then you win."

This completely illogical reaction left the girl utterly stunned. In all her years as an assassin, she had experienced countless dangerous situations, but she had never encountered anyone who would ask her to shoot, and then stand still and let her do it.

She felt a surge of anger at being mocked and belittled, but for some reason, the hand holding the gun began to tremble slightly uncontrollably.

The two faced each other in the biting wind atop the mountain, and time seemed to freeze for a few seconds.

Finally, as if all her strength had been exhausted, the girl sighed dejectedly, her hand holding the gun slowly falling to her sides: "You won... I..."

However, before she could finish speaking, her arm, which had been hanging down, suddenly rose again without warning! The gun barrel was pointed at Luo Fei's forehead with lightning speed!

"You're messing with me!" A flash of madness and ruthlessness, born from being teased, crossed her face as she pulled the trigger without hesitation!

"boom!"

Deafening gunfire erupted once again in the valley!

Inside the Mercedes parked on the roadside at the foot of the mountain, Chen Xuanran, who had been anxiously watching the direction of the mountaintop, shuddered violently upon hearing the incredibly clear gunshot that was so close at hand, his heart nearly leaping out of his chest!

No longer caring about Luo Fei's previous instructions, she flung open the car door, drew her gun, and rushed up the hillside in the direction Luo Fei had disappeared!

At the mountaintop, time seemed to stretch out infinitely the instant the bullet left the barrel.

The girl impersonating Han Zixuan stared wide-eyed, her mouth agape in disbelief, her face filled with a look of utter horror as if she had seen a ghost—she clearly saw that in the hundredth of a second after the bullet left the barrel, Luo Fei's head shifted to the side by an almost negligible distance with a minute amplitude and terrifying speed that no human could possibly achieve!

It was that tiny distance that allowed the scorching bullet to narrowly graz his cheek, leaving a thin line of blood and a wisp of singed hair before disappearing into the distant sky.

The bullet...missed?! At such close range, aimed at the forehead, and with the target making no attempt to dodge, she still missed?!
The wind blowing from the mountaintop carried a faint smell of blood and gunpowder. Li Xue, the girl impersonating Han Zixuan, stared blankly at the faint bloodstain on Luo Fei's face, grazed by a bullet, and the direction in which the bullet disappeared in the distant sky behind him; her mind was completely blank.

Luo Fei slowly raised his hand, wiping away the beads of blood seeping from his cheek, his eyes as cold as a blade: "Now you understand? Even if I gave you a hundred more chances, you still couldn't kill me. Answer my questions: Who exactly are you? What is your relationship with Han Zixuan? Why do you look exactly alike? Are you twins?"

Li Xue slowly recovered from her extreme shock. Upon hearing the word "twins," she shook her head bitterly, her voice somewhat hoarse: "No...we are not twins. My name is Li Xue."

She took a deep breath, as if she had made up her mind, and began to explain this unbelievable truth: "We look alike because... we had plastic surgery on both sides."

"Dual cosmetic surgery?" Luo Fei frowned.

“Yes.” Li Xue nodded. “Initially, the organization used Han Zixuan as a template and arranged for me to undergo comprehensive plastic surgery, with the goal of making me as similar to her as possible. But after the first surgery, although we looked very similar, you could still see the differences upon closer inspection. Then…”

She paused, her tone becoming complicated, "The organization forced Zixuan again... to adjust some subtle features of her face to resemble my post-plastic surgery appearance..." Luo Fei instantly understood the malicious intent: "After repeated adjustments, you two become almost identical, indistinguishable. The purpose is to allow the two of you to share the identity of 'Han Zixuan' and operate within the Great Xia territory."

When one person goes out to carry out a murder mission, another person can appear in public with the same appearance to create a perfect alibi for her.

“That’s right,” Li Xue admitted. “This is a common tactic used by the organization.”

Upon learning the cruel truth behind all this, Luo Fei's face grew even more grim. He immediately pressed, "Where is Han Zixuan now? How is she?"

Li Xue's eyes dimmed, revealing genuine worry and pain: "Last time, she was ordered to kill you, but she couldn't bring herself to do it and pretended to have failed the mission to escape back. This was later discovered by the organization's BOSS. Zi Xuan was... was taken back to the base and suffered inhuman torture... If I hadn't pleaded for her, she would have been executed on the spot."

Luo Fei quietly activated his super mind-reading ability, confirming that Li Xue's emotions and words were genuine and she wasn't lying. His heart clenched, and he urgently asked, "Is she still alive? What happened to her?"

“She’s still alive for now…” Li Xue’s voice choked with sobs, “but she’s locked up in a cold, damp underground cell in the base, never seeing the light of day… and… and she seems to be seriously ill, constantly coughing and having a fever, with no one to treat her properly… The BOSS said that if I can successfully kill you, he’ll agree to release her… but now…”

She glanced at Luo Fei, her meaning clear: the mission had failed. "She's been imprisoned for over three months... If this continues, I'm afraid she really won't be able to hold on..."

Luo Fei's heart sank, and a strong sense of anxiety and anger welled up inside him.

Li Xue seemed to remember something and added, "Before I came, I managed to secretly meet her once. She asked me to pass on a message to you... She said she remembered you saying when we were little that you would marry her when you grew up... She said it's probably impossible in this life, and she hopes to meet you again in the next life. She will definitely wait for you..."

Hearing this, even Luo Fei felt a sharp pain in his heart, as if it had been gripped tightly. Fragments of childhood memories flooded his mind—the girl who always followed behind him, her smile bright and cheerful…

Li Xue continued, "Actually, Zi Xuan and I were sent to Jiangcheng three years ago. Zi Xuan usually lives in Nanwan District, and we share the identity of 'Han Zi Xuan,' working as clerks in a small company as a cover..."

Over the years, she's known everything you've done, your life, the girlfriends you've dated… she's seen it all… but she's never dared to show herself and bother you… She says… she feels that her current status no longer qualifies her to love you…

Upon learning that Han Zixuan had been silently watching over him for three years without his knowledge, and even believing that she was already dead, Luo Fei was filled with indescribable guilt and complex emotions.

Looking at his expression, Li Xue's tone turned cold and hard: "To be honest, I've thought about killing you for her many times... Since she can't have you, she can't let anyone else have you... But I'm afraid that if I kill you, she'll suffer even more... And this time, my killing you is not only the BOSS's order, but also the only condition for saving her... If I fail, she might really be executed..."

Just then, hurried footsteps and shouts came from down the mountain: "Luo Fei! Luo Fei!"

It was Chen Xuanran! Ignoring the danger, she struggled up the steep slope, panting heavily, her face filled with worry and anxiety. She visibly relaxed when she saw Luo Fei was unharmed, but then froze when she saw Li Xue standing opposite her, whose appearance bore a striking resemblance to her own.

Luo Fei immediately walked over to Chen Xuanran: "Why did you come up? Didn't I tell you to wait in the car?"

Chen Xuanran calmed his breathing, looked at Li Xue with a complicated expression, then at Luo Fei: "I...I overheard some of your conversation downstairs...I couldn't hear it very clearly, but I can roughly guess what it was..."

She paused, as if making a great decision, her voice trembling slightly but unusually clear: "Luo Fei, I know... I know that at first, you might have only noticed me because I looked a bit like her... I might just be... a substitute..."

“Xuanran, I…” Luo Fei tried to explain.

Chen Xuanran shook his head, interrupting him, and continued, "It's okay... I'm really okay. Go save her! Take me with you, take the brothers from the Special Case Team! You must get her out!"

Luo Fei was shocked, not expecting Chen Xuanran to say such a thing. He quickly and solemnly explained, "Xuanran, listen to me. At first, I did notice you because you looked somewhat like her."

But later, my liking for you, my concern for you, and my desire to be with you all stemmed from the fact that you are Chen Xuanran, the one and only Chen Xuanran! You have never been a substitute for anyone! I am absolutely certain of that.

Chen Xuanran looked into Luo Fei's eyes, seemingly confirming the truth of his words. She was silent for a few seconds, then asked softly, "Then...do you still like her? Do you still want to save her?"

This question hit the nail on the head, leaving Luo Fei speechless for a moment, unable to give an immediate answer. He had childhood feelings for Han Zixuan and current guilt towards her, while his feelings for Chen Xuanran represented his true present.

Seeing his hesitation, Chen Xuanran gave him an understanding smile, though it carried a hint of bitterness: "You don't need to answer. I understand. Go save her... I'm not forcing you to make any choice, I just don't want you to live the rest of your life in regret and unease. If that happens, even if we're together, you won't be truly happy."

Luo Fei was deeply moved by Chen Xuanran's profound understanding and righteousness. He could no longer hold back, so he stepped forward and hugged Chen Xuanran tightly, feeling her slightly trembling body.

He whispered in her ear with unprecedented solemnity, "Xuanran, wait for me. Wait until I rescue her and settle her in. When I come back, we'll get married."

Chen Xuanran's body stiffened abruptly, as if she couldn't believe what she was hearing. She lifted her head from his embrace, her eyes instantly reddening, her voice trembling with disbelief: "You...you mean to propose?"

Luo Fei looked at her, a rare hint of embarrassment and tenderness on his face. He didn't speak, but released her and slowly took out a small, exquisite red velvet box from the inside pocket of his coat.

Then, to Chen Xuanran's astonishment, he knelt on one knee on the slightly rough ground atop the mountain and opened the box. Inside lay a simple yet dazzling diamond ring. (End of Chapter)