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

Guo Xinxin pressed on, unwilling to give up.

"I am a police officer."

Luo Fei told him the truth, but didn't go into too much detail.

"If your sister goes missing, I suggest you report it to the local police immediately. They will help you."

"Police? Are you really a police officer?"

Guo Xinxin's voice suddenly became excited.

“I’ve already reported it to the police! My sister has been missing for over a month! But the local police haven’t made any progress at all. After investigating for a few days, they said they couldn’t find any clues, and later they even… even said they wouldn’t file a case!”
Officer Luo, please help me! My sister's behavior was very unusual before she disappeared; she specifically left your phone number, this is definitely not a coincidence!

Luo Fei frowned slightly. The police refused to file a case?
This does sound rather strange.

he asked casually.

When exactly did your sister go missing?

"On the 3rd of last month! It was after the evening of the 3rd of last month that I lost contact with her!"

Guo Xinxin answered immediately.

On the 3rd of last month?
Luo Fei's heart stirred slightly.

This time... isn't it just shortly after I returned to Jiangcheng from Kyoto?

Although it could very well be just a coincidence in timing, the strange fact that the other party's sister had deliberately left her phone number gave him a strange intuition that there might really be some unknown connection between them.

He paused for a few seconds before speaking to Guo Xinxin on the other end of the phone.

Tell me your exact location.

"I...I'm in Tanzhou! Tanzhou City, Hunan Province!"

When Guo Xinxin heard Luo Fei ask for her location on the other end of the phone, her voice immediately lit up with a glimmer of hope.

"Officer Luo, would you... would you be willing to help me?"

"Okay, send the detailed address to my WeChat."

Luo Fei spoke calmly.

I'll go there as soon as possible.

After hanging up the phone, Luo Fei frowned slightly.

A girl who had never been met before disappeared left her phone number, but the local police's attitude towards the case was ambiguous, and they even refused to file a case.
These many questions aroused his professional sensitivity and strong curiosity.

He decided to go to Tanzhou himself to see what was going on.

He first dialed Chen Xuanran's number.

"Xuanran, book me two tickets to Tanzhou as soon as possible."

Luo Fei said directly.

"Tanzhou? Why are we suddenly going there?"

Chen Xuanran was somewhat surprised.

"It's hard to explain over the phone, something strange happened. By the way, why don't you come with me? Consider it a business trip, and you can relax a bit."

Luo Fei extended an invitation.

With Chen Xuanran by his side, he could take care of her whether it was assisting with the investigation or her daily life, and he did want to take her out for a walk.

After a moment's thought, Chen Xuanran readily agreed.

"Okay, I'll book the tickets right away. Shall we meet at home?"

After arranging his itinerary, Luo Fei's thoughts returned to the most crucial question—why did that girl named Guo Mengyun have his phone number? The two lived thousands of miles apart, their lives completely unrelated; this was highly illogical.

"Could it be the previous owner of the number?"

A thought flashed through me.

His phone number was newly registered last year. Perhaps someone else used this number before, and Guo Mengyun knows the previous owner?
With that in mind, he immediately dialed the number of the technical expert, Zhou Xiaobei.

"Xiao Bei, help me investigate something, it's urgent."

Luo Fei got straight to the point.

"Check if this phone number I'm currently using has been used by anyone before I registered for the service. Who is the owner of this number?"

"Okay, Fei-ge, just a moment."

The sound of clattering keyboards came from Zhou Xiaobei's end, and soon after, a reply came.

"Brother Fei, we found it. Your number is a new number segment that the operator just released last year. Before you applied for it, there was no usage record at all. It's an absolute 'virgin number'."

"sure?"

"100% certain! The system record is very clear."

After hanging up Zhou Xiaobei's call, Luo Fei fell into deeper thought. If the possibility of the number's previous owner was ruled out, then the whole thing seemed even more bizarre.

A strange girl accurately predicted his "new number" and left it before she disappeared?
This sounds like some kind of prophecy or... a highly pointed hint.

"It seems that we have no choice but to go to Tanzhou."

Luo Fei's eyes sharpened; this matter was likely far more complex than a simple disappearance.

He drove home. His grandmother was sitting on the sofa in the living room, wearing her reading glasses, leisurely watching a traditional opera program on TV.

To Luo Fei's relief and even some surprise, his grandmother was in excellent health, with a rosy complexion and clear eyes. The Alzheimer's disease that had plagued her for many years had somehow recently disappeared without medication. Not only was she able to take care of herself completely, but her memory had also recovered significantly. Occasionally, she could even clearly recount the war-torn years she had experienced with her grandfather.

"Xiao Fei is back?"

Grandma heard the noise, turned around, and a kind smile appeared on her face.

"Grandma, I'm home. How are you feeling today?"

Luo Fei stepped forward and asked with concern.

"He's doing great! I was just thinking about how your grandfather used to lead his troops on a forced march, his feet were covered in blisters, and I soaked his feet in hot water. He grimaced in pain but didn't dare to make a sound..."

Grandma spoke with a cheerful smile, her eyes filled with reminiscence.

Luo Fei chatted with his grandmother for a few minutes before going upstairs to his bedroom.

Pushing open the door, they saw Chen Xuanran already there, efficiently packing their clothes into a suitcase.

"You've already packed up?"

Luo Fei was somewhat surprised.

"It started as soon as I received your call."

Chen Xuanran didn't even look up, his hands continuing their work, but his tone carried a hint of inquiry.

"Tell me, what's going on? Why are you suddenly going to Tanzhou to meet a strange girl? Could it be one of those online scams where someone says 'I am Qin Shi Huang, send me money'?"

Luo Fei walked to the bedside, sat down, and shook his head.

"It doesn't seem like it."

The girl's urgency and despair didn't seem feigned.

Moreover, the whole thing is very strange.

He took out his phone, pulled up Guo Mengyun's photo, and handed it to Chen Xuanran.

"Look, this is the girl, her name is Guo Mengyun. Do you know her? Or is it possible that I... well, you know, accidentally offended her before?"

Chen Xuanran took the phone, carefully examined the smiling girl in the photo, pursed his lips, and said in a teasing tone.

"Tsk, she's quite pretty. What? Is she one of your ex-girlfriends whose name you can't remember? Or did you have a brief fling somewhere, and now she's come knocking on your door?"

Luo Fei rolled his eyes at her, annoyed.

"Go to hell! I, Luo Fei, sit up straight and honest. I put my heart into every relationship, and I end things cleanly. I never forget anyone. I really don't remember this girl at all."

Seeing that his expression didn't seem fake, Chen Xuanran returned the phone to him and continued packing her luggage, but she still kept arguing.

"Who knows? Maybe it's because of some romantic entanglements you had outside, and now the victim is coming to your door."

Luo Fei was amused by her, so he got up and hugged her from behind, resting his chin on her shoulder and whispering in her ear.

"Don't I owe you all my romantic entanglements? How about... we settle things before we leave?"

Chen Xuanran blushed and nudged him lightly with her elbow.

"Stop messing around! Be serious! I... I haven't left yet."

Upon hearing this, Luo Fei's face fell, and he sighed regretfully.

"Okay... then I'll put it in the account for now."

The two exchanged a brief discussion about their views on the matter, both finding it rather strange. After packing their luggage and saying goodbye to their grandmother, they headed to the airport.

Jiangcheng is less than 1,000 kilometers from Tanzhou, and the flight time is just over an hour. In the evening, the plane landed smoothly at Tanzhou Huanghua International Airport.

After leaving the airport, the two took a taxi straight to the meeting place that the girl, Guo Xinxin, had mentioned—Desiqin City Plaza in Yuhua District.

Chen Xuanran had already booked a hotel there in advance.

On his way to the hotel, Luo Fei dialed Guo Xinxin's number.

"Miss Guo, I have arrived in Tanzhou and am now on my way to Desiqin Plaza."

"Ah? You...you arrived so quickly?!"

Guo Xinxin on the other end of the phone was clearly very surprised. She hadn't expected Luo Fei to act so quickly, and her voice was full of surprise and a hint of bewilderment.

"Okay, tell me a specific place to meet."

Luo Fei said.

"Okay...okay! How about the Starbucks on the first floor of Building A in the plaza?"

Guo Xinxin quickly replied.

"Okay, see you in a bit."

The taxi weaved through the city's neon lights and soon arrived at the bustling Desiqin City Plaza.

Instead of dropping off their luggage at the hotel, the two dragged their suitcases directly into the brightly lit Starbucks.

Based on the location shared on WeChat, Luo Fei and Chen Xuanran found a young girl sitting alone in a booth in a relatively quiet corner of the Starbucks lobby.

She looked to be in her early twenties, dressed in a simple T-shirt and jeans, but her face was pale, her eyes were heavily puffed up, and her eyes were filled with anxiety and unease. It was Guo Xinxin.

Luo Fei and Chen Xuanran stepped forward.

"Guo Xinxin?"

Luo Fei spoke up to confirm.

The girl suddenly looked up, saw Luo Fei and Chen Xuanran, and immediately stood up, nodding nervously.

"Yes, it's me! You must be Officer Luo Fei?"
Who is this...?

"I am Luo Fei, and this is my wife, Chen Xuanran. She is also a police officer."

Luo Fei gave a brief introduction.

"Hello... Hello, Officer Chen!"

Guo Xinxin quickly extended her hands and shook hands with Luo Fei and Chen Xuanran respectively. Her palms were icy cold and trembling slightly.

After the three of them sat down, Guo Xinxin noticed that Luo Fei and Chen Xuanran were sitting in front of empty seats. She suddenly remembered something and a guilty look appeared on her face.

"I'm so sorry, I was in such a rush that I only ordered drinks for myself and didn't think of you two. I... I'll go order right away!"

As she spoke, she was about to get up.

"You're welcome, Miss Guo, please have a seat."

Chen Xuanran smiled and pressed her down, then stood up himself.

"You guys talk about business first. Tell me what you'd like to drink, and I'll order it."

"Well... I can't possibly accept that..."

Guo Xinxin was at a loss.

"fine."

Chen Xuanran smiled at her, glanced at Luo Fei, and then walked towards the ordering counter.

After Chen Xuanran left, Luo Fei's gaze fell on Guo Xinxin again. Upon closer inspection, he could feel the lingering haggardness and exhaustion on her body. Clearly, because of her sister's matter, she had been physically and mentally exhausted for some time and probably hadn't had a good night's sleep.

"Ms. Guo, relax."

Luo Fei's tone was calm, carrying a reassuring power.

"Now, tell me in detail how your sister, Guo Mengyun, disappeared?"

Guo Xinxin took a deep breath, holding her already cold cup of coffee tightly in both hands, as if trying to draw some warmth from it, and began to recount the experience that had exhausted her.

"My name is Guo Qian, I am 26 years old this year. My younger sister Guo Mengyun is 3 years younger than me, she is 23 years old this year."

She just graduated from university last year. She had looked for a job in Jiangcheng before, but couldn't find a suitable position, so she came back to Tanzhou to help me manage the business. She usually lives at my house.

She paused for a moment, then added details about her family situation.

“I got married last year. My wife works at the district tax bureau. We took out a loan to buy a three-bedroom apartment nearby. We don’t have children yet.”

Luo Fei nodded slightly, signaling her to continue.

My sister went missing on the 3rd of last month.

Guo Qian's voice lowered, filled with suppressed pain.

“That morning she told me she had to take leave and go out for a while. I asked her what it was, and she just said it was some personal business and she would be back soon, so I didn’t think much of it. But then… she left and never came back.”

“I couldn’t reach her that night. Her phone went unanswered at first, and then it was switched off. I was so worried that I went to the local police station to report the case first thing the next morning.”

Guo Qian frowned deeply, her face showing helplessness and resentment.

"However, after investigating, the police station said they would not file a case!"

"Why won't you file a case? What's the reason?"

Luo Fei pressed for details, confirming that this matched what he knew.

"The reason is that they checked the surveillance footage and travel records and found that my sister bought a plane ticket on the afternoon of the 3rd and flew to Jiangcheng!"

Guo Qian's tone was tinged with excitement.

“The police station said that the surveillance footage clearly showed that she left on her own and went to the airport on her own. They believed that this did not constitute a case of disappearance in Tanzhou and told me to go to the Jiangcheng police.”

"She went to Jiangcheng by herself?"

Chen Xuanran, who had just returned with three cups of coffee, happened to hear this and showed a surprised expression on his face.

She placed an Americano in front of Luo Fei, handed a latte to Guo Qian, and kept a cappuccino for herself.

"Thank you."

Guo Qian thanked him in a low voice and continued speaking to Luo Fei.

"Yes, I was stunned at the time. I had no choice but to immediately buy a plane ticket and rush to Jiangcheng. The police officers in Jiangcheng helped me retrieve the surveillance footage from the airport and along the route, and found that after my sister got off the plane, she took a taxi from the airport and left."

However... however, that taxi eventually disappeared into a blind spot of the surveillance cameras, and its exact destination could not be found.

Even stranger, surveillance footage showed that the next morning, my sister appeared alone at Jiangcheng Airport and boarded a plane bound for Haizhu City, Wuyue Province! (End of Chapter)