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

Finally, the police officer stopped in front of an iron gate, took out his key, and unlocked the door.

"Go in."

The police officer's voice was flat and monotone.

Luo Fei stepped inside. The iron gate slammed shut and locked behind him.

He stood at the doorway and quickly surveyed the place where he would be temporarily staying.

The room was a rectangular space of about 20 square meters. Along the wall were ten low iron bunk beds. The beds were covered with thin, dark-colored bedding.

At the far end of the room was an area partially partitioned off by a low wall, where you could see the toilet and sink for washing. The so-called bathroom was almost open-plan, which explained why you could smell a faint, hard-to-seal sour, rotten odor as soon as you entered.

High up in the room, there was a small window with iron bars, through which a little daylight shone.

There were eight or nine people in the room at the moment. As soon as Luo Fei entered, almost everyone's eyes were immediately focused on him.

In those gazes, there was curiosity, scrutiny, indifference, and also undisguised ill intent. Luo Fei immediately noticed several details.

Apart from himself, the other eight people in the room all had extremely short, bristly haircuts, indicating that they had been there for quite some time and were "veterans."

One of the people sitting on the lower bunk inside stood out; he was wearing a striking red vest—the insignia of a death row inmate.

The man was probably in his forties, with a withered face and cloudy, numb eyes. He showed no reaction to Luo Fei's arrival, as if he were in another world.

The attention of the others was mainly drawn to a few other people.

A burly, bald man with dark blue tattoos on his arms sat imposingly in the middle of the dormitory; next to him was a skinny man with a pointed face and a monkey-like appearance, and two or three other men who looked like his followers, all sitting or standing around him.

What Luo Fei didn't know was that before his arrival, cell number "307" was already full of ten people.

In order to "arrange" his admission, someone used their connections to transfer another suspect who was originally staying there to another cell.

All of this was orchestrated quietly by the Xue family to "treat him well."

"You, come here!"

The tattooed, bald man beckoned to Luo Fei with his finger, speaking in a domineering and commanding tone.

The skinny guy next to him immediately chimed in, shouting.

"Are you deaf? Brother Biao is calling you over! New guy, don't you know the rules?"

Luo Fei remained expressionless and walked over as instructed, stopping two steps away from the tattooed man.

The tattooed man—whom the other inmates called "Brother Biao" or "Master Biao"—looked Luo Fei up and down, his gaze lingering on his face for a moment before he made a "tsk tsk" sound, offering a sleazy comment.

"Damn, he's quite handsome, like a pretty boy. Too bad he's a guy."

These words drew a low chuckle from the henchmen beside him, a lewd chuckle.

Luo Fei's lips twitched almost imperceptibly, and he felt a little absurd and amused.

He was no stranger to this kind of intimidation tactic, but he never expected to experience it personally in this capacity one day.

He wasn't angry; instead, he felt a sense of novelty and amusement because of the role he was playing and the strange environment he was in.

When Biao Ye saw that Luo Fei didn't say anything, he assumed that Luo Fei was intimidated and became even more smug. He pointed with his chin behind Luo Fei.

"Turn around and let me see what the 'goods' are like."

Luo Fei slowly turned around as instructed, his back to them.

He had just turned around when he received a light but firm slap on the buttock.

Then, Brother Biao withdrew his hand, chuckled lewdly, and commented.

"It's alright, not too uncomfortable to hold."

"This outfit is just so damn ugly, it's a waste of resources."

The surrounding laughter suddenly intensified, and several people exchanged knowing glances, making the malice in the air even more obvious.

Luo Fei turned around, a slight smile on his face, as if he hadn't been the one photographed just now.

He looked at Old Man Biao and asked in a calm tone.

"Brother, are you the 'boss' of this place? The boss?"

Boss Biao didn't answer directly, but snorted, putting on airs. The skinny henchman next to him spoke first, his tone both boastful and threatening.

"Nonsense! Open your eyes! Do you know Xuejia Village?"

Luo Fei nodded and said in a cooperative manner.

"I've heard of him, he's very famous."

The skinny guy got even more excited, pointing his thumb at Boss Biao.

"Listen up, stand still!"

This is from Xuejia Village, Uncle Jingshan's nephew! Around here, people in the underworld all call him "Brother Biao" out of respect! Brother Biao's word carries weight in these Western Hills!

He deliberately emphasized "Xuejia Village" and "Uncle Jingshan," clearly intending to use these titles to intimidate people.

Upon hearing this, Luo Fei's eyes seemed to light up. He immediately feigned understanding and a slightly "respectful" demeanor, and with a grin, extended his hand, saying...

"Oh dear! My apologies! It's Biaozi! I'm a newcomer here, I didn't recognize you at all! I hope you'll take good care of me in the future, Brother Biaozi!"

The moment he said that, the cell fell silent. The skinny henchman's face changed first; he jumped up from the bedside and pointed at Luo Fei's nose, cursing.

"Fuck your mother! Who are you calling 'Biaozi'? You want a beating, don't you?!"

He was about to rush forward when he said that.

But Biao Ye himself had a face that was so gloomy it could drip water.

He grabbed the skinny man who was about to rush forward and slowly stood up himself.

He was a bit taller and more imposing than Luo Fei, with a strong build, and his presence was indeed somewhat intimidating.

He stared at Luo Fei with a fierce look in his eyes, and squeezed out the words through clenched teeth, one word at a time.

"You little bastard, what did you just call me? Biaozi? You dare say it again?!"

His fists were clenched so tightly that his knuckles turned white; he was clearly enraged by the extremely insulting nickname. In Xuejia Village, on his turf, who dared to call him that? This newcomer wasn't ignorant of the rules; it was blatant provocation!
Luo Fei quickly waved his hand, still wearing that slightly irritating smile, and explained.

"Don't rush, don't rush, Brother Biao, it's a misunderstanding, a complete misunderstanding! I wasn't calling you, I was talking about that...that movie, 'Crazy Stone,' isn't there a guy named Dao? He has a henchman named 'Biaozi,' which is really interesting. I think your aura is a bit like that 'Biaozi,' you're from the same series, imposing and domineering!"

His explanation sounded like an apology, but considering the context and his grinning expression, it sounded more like adding fuel to the fire, comparing the other person to a comical character in a movie.

"Fuck your grandpa!!" Boss Biao was completely enraged, veins bulging on his forehead.

He felt that Luo Fei was just playing him!

He grabbed Luo Fei by the collar of his yellowish-brown prison uniform, his other fist already raised, whistling through the air, about to smash into Luo Fei's face. The others in the cell held their breath, some excitedly watching the spectacle, others silently resigned to the impending violence.

The death row inmate in the red vest stared blankly at the wall, showing no reaction to the conflict behind him.

Just as the fist was about to fall and the conflict was about to erupt—

"Uncle! Don't get agitated! Wait a minute! Now is not the time to deal with him!"

A voice came from the direction of the cell door, breaking the tense atmosphere. Everyone looked in the direction of the sound and saw that the iron door of the cell had been opened a crack from the outside. A familiar figure squeezed in sideways and then quickly closed the door.

It seems the guards granted them a brief "favor".

The man who entered was a young man. Although his blond hair had lost its shine and looked somewhat withered, his hairstyle still revealed its original appearance.

His face was pale and bloodless, and he looked sickly. What was even more noticeable was that one of his arms was in a sling around his neck, and his wrist was wrapped in thick gauze. He looked weak and walked slowly.

Luo Fei understood the man the moment he saw him.

This was the blond-haired youth under Xue Shih-hao's command who had his wrist bone crushed by him at "Feixin Noodle Shop" before.

It seems the actors have all arrived for the show the Xue family arranged.

The appearance of the blond-haired man temporarily halted the fist that was about to fall from Master Biao's hand.

When Biao saw Huang Mao, he frowned, his fist still raised, but he didn't push it forward, and he snorted in dissatisfaction.

"Xiao Hao? What are you doing here? What do you mean by bad timing? This bastard dares to call me 'Biaozi,' if I don't beat the shit out of him today, I'll write my name Xue backwards!"

The blond-haired youth, called Xiao Hao, grinned, seemingly wanting to laugh, but his smile was distorted due to pain and weakness.

He glanced at Luo Fei, who was being grabbed by the collar by Boss Biao but remained unfazed, and a deep resentment and a hint of barely perceptible fear flashed in his eyes.

He leaned closer to Biao Ye and whispered.

"Uncle, Brother Hao... my dad specifically instructed me to do this."

This kid is weird; hitting him directly would be too easy on him.

And since something happened so soon after he arrived, it's hard to explain to the detention center. We need to take it slow and let him enjoy the 'care' he gets here.”

He deliberately emphasized the word "take care of," making it sound malicious.

Upon hearing this, Biao Ye loosened his grip on Luo Fei's collar slightly, but his eyes remained fierce.

He glared at Luo Fei, then looked at Huang Mao's sling, and seemed to understand something.

"Okay, I'll do as Brother Hao says."

He reluctantly let go of her hand and even gave Luo Fei a hard shove.

Luo Feifei took a half step back, straightened his wrinkled collar, and the smile on his face faded, returning to calm.

He glanced at Huang Mao, then at Biao Ye, and said nothing more.

Yellow-haired Xiao Hao walked up to Luo Fei, looked him up and down, and forced a gloomy smile onto his pale face.

"Hey Luo, you didn't expect this, did you? We've met again so soon."

Are you satisfied with this place?

He pointed to his arm, which was in a sling.

“I’ve always remembered the ‘gift’ you gave me. Don’t worry, there’s plenty of time in the future, we can settle things slowly. Uncle and the others.”

He glanced around at the menacing faces in the cell.

"And all the brothers here will keep you entertained. We guarantee this trip to Xishan will be unforgettable."

A few malicious laughs echoed from the cell. Boss Biao crossed his arms and stared coldly at Luo Fei.

The skinny henchman and the others were also eyeing the scene covetously.

Luo Fei met Xiao Hao's resentful gaze, then glanced at the "cellmates" in the cell who were clearly arranged to give him "special treatment." Finally, his gaze fell on the back of the death row inmate wearing a red vest who seemed indifferent to everything, and lingered for only a moment.

He understood that the Xue family's "hospitality" had officially begun.

From the conflict at the noodle shop to the detention center, and now to the Xishan Detention Center, step by step, he seems to be led by the nose by the other party, falling into a passive and dangerous situation.

But he knew that the clues he was looking for might be hidden deep within this malice and chaos.

Was that figure in the red vest, seemingly isolated from the world, a coincidence? Or...?

He withdrew his gaze and looked at the arrogant blond-haired man and the burly-faced Biao Ye. His face regained that unfathomable calm, and he even nodded slightly, as if agreeing with Xiao Hao's words.

"Yes, there's still a long way to go. I'm also looking forward to seeing what tricks the Xue family can pull."

His tone was calm, but it inexplicably made Huang Mao Xiao Hao's heart skip a beat, and he recalled the sudden pain and the fear of being powerless to resist in the noodle shop.

Uncle Biao waved his hand impatiently.

"Xiao Hao, go back and rest first. Don't run around until your arm is fully healed."

We're here.

He stared at Luo Fei and pointed to the upper bunk closest to the bathroom door, which was also the dampest and smelliest.

"You, sleep there. If you're not going to do anything, just squat in the corner and don't fucking hang around in front of me. Someone will teach you the rules eventually."

Yellow-haired Xiao Hao glared at Luo Fei again before turning around and, dragging his somewhat unsteady body, slowly moved out of the cell. The iron door closed and locked again.

Luo Fei didn't say anything more and followed the instructions to walk to the designated bunk, which was arguably the worst in the cell.

He could feel several gazes behind him, like needles pricking his back.

He knew that the temporary calm was just an illusion, and the "programs" and "care" arranged by the Xue family would probably arrive in various forms soon.

Within the high walls of Xishan Detention Center, another contest has just begun.

While searching for clues about the possible "Zhu Dafa," he must also be wary of the ever-present open and covert attacks.

He climbed onto the upper bunk; the rough bedding smelled musty.

He lay down, hands behind his head, gazing at the small window with iron bars high above him. Outside, the sky stretched out in squares, a hazy gray. In the corner, the shadow of the man in the red vest lay motionless, like a lifeless sculpture.

The first night in the cell wasn't as "lively" as the Xue family had anticipated or as "Brother Biao" and his group had planned. Perhaps it was the instruction from Huang Mao Xiao Hao to "take it slow" that had the desired effect, or perhaps it was Luo Fei's nonchalant, even somewhat domineering, attitude in the face of provocation that left Brother Biao and the others unsure of his intentions, leading them to choose to observe. (End of Chapter)