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

Luo Fei didn't linger. Guided by Chen Fan, he went straight upstairs to Su Qiao's bedroom.

The bedroom door was open, and the scene inside made even the well-informed members of the special case team gasp in shock!
Su Qiao was seen wearing a silk nightgown, lying in the corner of the bedroom near the window.

Her death was extremely gruesome!
The body was twisted in a position that no normal person could possibly do, with the four feet in the air, the limbs curled up in a bizarre way as if they were broken, and the ten fingers of the hands stretched forward in a claw-like shape, as if desperately trying to grab or push something away before dying.

Her eyes were wide open, almost bulging out of their sockets, and her face was frozen in an expression of extreme horror and fear. Her mouth was slightly open, as if she couldn't even let out a final scream!
The whole scene was so eerie it sent chills down my spine!
A forensic doctor in a white coat was conducting a preliminary investigation at the scene. When he saw Luo Fei enter, he stood up, wiped the cold sweat from his forehead, and spoke with disbelief.

"Director Luo, you've arrived. After a preliminary examination, there are no obvious external injuries on the deceased's body, no signs of struggle, and no signs of forced entry into the room."

Based on rigor mortis and livor mortis, the time of death was likely between 1 a.m. and 3 a.m. last night.

This...this doesn't look like murder, on the contrary...on the contrary it seems like..."

The forensic doctor paused, seemingly realizing the conclusion was somewhat absurd, but still spoke it aloud.

"It's more like they were scared to death! I've been a forensic pathologist for almost twenty years, and this is the first time I've encountered something like this!"
Of course, this is only a preliminary assessment; the specific cause of death will need to be determined through a detailed autopsy at the station.

"Scared to death?"

Wang Feifei couldn't help but gasp, feeling a chill run down her neck.

Zhou Xiaobei shrank back and muttered to himself.

"My God... Is this house really... really haunted? It was perfectly fine yesterday..."

Luo Fei's face was ashen; he didn't believe in any ghost stories at all.

His sharp gaze swept across the entire room, finally settling on the gruesome corpse, his tone icy.

There are no ghosts in the world, only people who pretend to be ghosts!

He looked at Chen Fan with eyes as sharp as knives.

"Su Qiao met with us yesterday and revealed key information about Xie Junshan. She died mysteriously that same night, and her death was so bizarre."

This is no coincidence!

Chen Fan immediately understood Luo Fei's meaning and nodded solemnly.

"Brother Fei, you mean... to silence them?"

"That's right!"

Luo Fei said decisively.

"Su Qiao was killed because she came into contact with us, and because she may have known some secrets about Xie Junshan!"
This shows that Xie Junshan, or rather the forces behind him, have been secretly watching us!

They don't want us to know certain things!
The secrets hidden by Xie Junshan and the Reincarnation Group are probably bigger and more terrifying than we imagine!

He immediately gave orders to the local police chief.

"Immediately retrieve all surveillance footage from the area surrounding this villa complex, especially from last night to early this morning! Check all suspicious individuals and vehicle entry and exit records! At the same time, urge the forensic department to complete the autopsy as soon as possible; I need the most detailed report!"

Su Qiao's mysterious death cast a deeper shadow over the case.

After Luo Fei gave the order, the local police immediately began to investigate the surveillance footage around Su Qiao's villa. However, the results were disappointing—during the time of Su Qiao's death, no suspicious persons or vehicles were found to have approached her villa, as if the murderer was a ghost that appeared out of thin air and disappeared into thin air.

Meanwhile, the forensic autopsy report was also released. The report confirmed that Su Qiao's direct cause of death was myocardial fiber tearing and massive cardiac bleeding caused by extreme fear, which ultimately led to cardiac arrest—in layman's terms, she was scared to death.

There were indeed no signs of struggle, restraint, or injection on her body, and there were no signs of intrusion at the scene.

However, a crucial clue was discovered during the toxicology test! Forensic experts detected high concentrations of scopolamine in Su Qiao's stomach contents and blood!
The senior forensic doctor in charge of the autopsy explained to Luo Fei and the others.

Scopolamine is a potent neurotoxin with extremely strong hallucinogenic effects.

It exists naturally in the stems and leaves of a herbaceous plant called "Hynostemma pentaphyllum".

The effects of this toxin are somewhat similar to those of the infamous poisonous mushrooms of Yunnan Province, but it is more hallucinogenic and is also a traditional Chinese medicine ingredient.

He pushed up his glasses, his tone becoming serious.

"However, based on the detected concentration and metabolic status, the deceased did not directly ingest the henbane plant, but rather inhaled purified and concentrated scopolamine toxin! Moreover, the amount inhaled... is alarmingly high!"

"How big is it?"

Luo Fei pressed for an answer.

The old forensic doctor took a deep breath and uttered a staggering number.

"A rough estimate suggests that the dose of scopolamine she inhaled was equivalent to the total amount extracted from about ten tons of *Hedyotis diffusa*!"

"Ten tons?!"

The special task force members present were stunned.

"Yes."

The old forensic doctor nodded affirmatively.

"Such a huge dose would produce an unimaginably terrifying hallucinogenic effect! Not to mention a weak woman, even a battle-hardened soldier would have his mind instantly broken under such an extremely terrifying hallucination impact!"

Even if they weren't scared to death, their bodies couldn't withstand such a dose of neurotoxins, and they would eventually die from organ failure.

He further analyzed the situation.

"In China, it is illegal to cultivate henbane, a plant that contains a high level of poison, on a large scale without authorization. Once discovered, the consequences are very serious."

Furthermore, there is a plant from abroad called "Magic Fairy Grass," whose roots, stems, and leaves contain a similar toxin at concentrations thousands of times higher than those of Hennessy Grass! Only about 10 kilograms of Magic Fairy Grass is needed to extract the equivalent of the toxins found in ten tons of Hennessy Grass!

The old forensic doctor concluded.

"However, this 'magic herb' has long been banned from cultivation and circulation by the international community. It is said that... nowadays, it may only be secretly cultivated in a very small amount in lawless places like the Golden Triangle. I personally tend to think that the source of the toxins in the deceased's body is very likely this 'magic herb'."

At this point, Su Qiao's cause of death is basically clear—homicide! The murderer used an extremely rare and highly toxic hallucinogen to create the illusion that Su Qiao was "scared to death" in a near-perfect crime!

Their methods were so secretive, and their medications so cunning and vicious, that it was outrageous!
With such ability and motivation, and the possibility of connections to the Golden Triangle region, Xie Junshan's suspicion instantly soared to its peak!

Luo Fei immediately gave Zhou Xiaobei an order.

"Xiao Bei! Investigate Xie Junshan with all your might! Check all his bank transaction records, airline and high-speed rail ticket purchase records, hotel accommodation information, and even his IP address for the past six months! I need to know where he has been and what he has been doing for the past six months!"

However, the investigation results sent a chill down everyone's spine. Zhou Xiaobei used all his privileges to search every system he could, and the results showed that Xie Junshan had vanished into thin air, with no publicly available or searchable activity records for over six months!

His last call record was more than six months ago. There were no transaction records on his bank card, no records of taking any transportation, and no hotel check-in information... He simply disappeared completely into the ocean of the digital world.

"Could it be... that Xie Junshan is also dead?"

Wu Peixiong couldn't help but make a chilling guess.

The case seems to have reached a dead end again. Those directly related to the case have either disappeared like Guo Mengyun and Gong Xiaorui, or been silenced like Su Qiao.

The prime suspect, Xie Junshan, has also vanished without a trace. The Hequan Villa has been searched repeatedly by local police and the special task force, who have practically dug every inch of the ground, but they have yet to find any trace of the four missing youths.

Luo Fei has been in Haizhu City for more than half a month, but he has yet to fulfill his promise to Guo Qian to "find his sister," which makes him feel increasingly heavy-hearted.

The atmosphere in the entire special task force was somewhat oppressive, with a sense of self-doubt and powerlessness quietly spreading.

Just when things seemed hopeless and there appeared to be no way out, a turning point came from an unexpected direction.

That afternoon, Zhou Xiaobei, who was in charge of technical support, subconsciously flipped through various maps and information in an attempt to relieve stress and find new inspiration.

He inadvertently switched the satellite map to the sky above Hequan Villa, zooming in and out to get a panoramic view of the entire community.

As he looked around, he suddenly felt that the buildings facing in a disorderly manner and the winding red path seemed to vaguely form a familiar pattern.

An idea struck him, and he immediately took a screenshot of the satellite map, imported it into the drawing software, and then picked up the digital pen to try to connect the outlines of the buildings...

A few minutes later, Zhou Xiaobei's eyes widened and his breathing became rapid!

He jumped up from his chair and excitedly rushed into Luo Fei's temporary resting room, shaking him awake.

"Brother Fei! Brother Fei! Wake up! We've made a major discovery! Come and see!"

Despite being woken up, Luo Fei showed no signs of morning grumpiness. Seeing Zhou Xiaobei's excitement, he knew something important must have happened, so he immediately followed him to the large screen in the living room.

The other team members were also alerted and gathered around.

"Look, everyone!"

Zhou Xiaobei pointed to the satellite image of Hequan Mountain Villa on the screen, which he had connected with red lines, his voice trembling with excitement.

“I connected the outlines of all the buildings in the neighborhood according to a certain pattern, and there’s also this red walkway… Look, what does this look like?!”

Everyone stared intently, and on the screen, the buildings that originally seemed chaotic were connected and outlined by red lines, forming a huge, complex, and mysterious pattern!

That striking red plastic track forms several key strokes and nodes in the design!

"This...this seems to be a kind of...talisman?"

Chen Fan said uncertainly that he had seen some talismans drawn by Taoist priests in his hometown when he was a child. Although he could not understand them, they felt somewhat similar.

"Yes! It's a talisman! A type of Taoist talisman!"

Zhou Xiaobei confirmed excitedly.

"I checked and compared some materials. Although I can't be completely sure what kind of talisman it is, it is definitely a large-scale Taoist talisman that has been carefully designed!"

The entire Crane Spring Manor is not an ordinary residential community at all; it's a massive... altar, or rather, a talisman array, constructed from buildings and roads!

This discovery was like a thunderclap in everyone's ears!

Luo Fei stared at the huge red rune on the screen that represented the entire residential complex, and all the clues instantly flashed through his mind—Xie Junshan's obsession with Taoism, his wearing of Taoist robes, his office resembling an altar, his enormous expenditure on building this unique and eerie residential complex, and his control over the complex's population...

"I understand……"

Luo Fei spoke slowly, his eyes sharp as knives.

"The entire Crane Spring Manor is a giant altar! Xie Junshan built it not to sell houses and make money, but to perform some kind of ritual or cultivation that we cannot understand!"

This deduction sent chills down everyone's spine! If it were true, then the fate of the four missing young people would likely be...

"We must figure out the exact meaning of this rune!"

Luo Fei made a decisive decision.

"Xuanran, immediately book two plane tickets to Shudu City, Sichuan Province, the fastest route! We're going to Qingcheng Mountain!"

That's a sacred Taoist site; there must be a master there who can decipher this rune!

"understand!"

Without the slightest hesitation, Chen Xuanran immediately took out his phone and started operating it.

More than an hour later, Luo Fei and Chen Xuanran boarded a flight to Chengdu.

After arriving at Chengdu Airport, Luo Fei did not inform his local colleagues. He and Chen Xuanran took a taxi and rushed to Qingcheng Mountain, which is known as one of the "ancestral homes of Taoism".

The ascent went smoothly. Through some special channels, they soon met an old Taoist priest, Li Tianshi, in a secluded Taoist temple on the back of the mountain. The priest had white hair and beard, a gaunt face, and deep, ancient eyes.

Without much small talk, Luo Fei directly stated his purpose and respectfully presented Master Li with a satellite image of Hequan Mountain Villa outlined in red on his phone.

When Master Li's gaze fell on the huge rune on the phone screen, his previously calm face instantly showed an expression of extreme shock!
He grabbed the phone, brought it close to his eyes to examine it closely, and his fingers even trembled slightly with excitement.

“This…this is…!”

Master Li muttered to himself, his face filled with disbelief.

He immediately got up, walked quickly to the Taoist temple's library, and searched through many ancient books with yellowed pages and full of signs of age, constantly comparing and verifying them.

Luo Fei and Chen Xuanran waited quietly, their hearts filled with tension and anticipation.

After a full half hour, Master Li slowly closed the ancient book in his hand, exhaled a long breath, looked at Luo Fei and Chen Xuanran with a very complicated expression, and slowly said.

“Esteemed benefactors, the pattern you brought… if this old Taoist priest is not mistaken, is not an ordinary talisman for exorcising evil and praying for blessings.”

This is an extremely ancient, and extremely dangerous... cultivation talisman!

"A cultivation talisman?!"

Luo Fei and Chen Xuanran spoke in unison. Although they had a premonition, hearing this word, which only existed in legends, still shook them to their core! (End of Chapter)