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

However, to persuade Grandpa, we must confess... confess the crime he thought would be forever buried in the water.

The thought sent chills down his spine. What would his grandfather think of him? Would he help him? Or… would he betray his own family for the greater good? He dared not think about it. But if he didn't confess and seek his grandfather's help, he felt like he was sitting on a volcano that could erupt at any moment, and Luo Fei was the spark that ignited the fuse.

This torment terrified him more than facing his grandfather's wrath directly.

Just as he was struggling internally and restless, his phone rang, and the name displayed on the screen was "Grandpa." Xue Shihao's hand trembled, and he almost dropped the phone.

He knew that Chen Yunfei must have complained.

He stared at his vibrating phone as if it were a death knell. To answer or not to answer? If he answered, what should he say? Continue to hide it, or tell the whole truth?
After hesitating for a few seconds, the long-held awe of his grandfather's authority and the intense desire for help ultimately overwhelmed some of his fear.

He gritted his teeth, slammed the car on the accelerator, but instead of answering the phone, he tossed it onto the passenger seat and let it ring incessantly.

He made up his mind. He couldn't explain it over the phone; he had to go home immediately and talk to his grandfather in person! His life or death depended on this!

He stepped on the gas, and the luxury car roared as it sped toward the Xue family's sprawling, heavily guarded mansion at the foot of West Mountain.

The car drove directly into the Xue family compound and stopped in front of the main gate. Xue Shihao, pale-faced, got out of the car and walked unsteadily into the study, a room both familiar and now incredibly oppressive to him. Xue Jingshan was standing with his back to the door, looking out at the courtyard view. Hearing the footsteps, he didn't turn around.

A heavy silence filled the study, broken only by the regular ticking of the antique clock.

Xue Shih-hao's legs went weak as he looked at his grandfather's tall but aged back.

With a "thump," he knelt straight down on the cold, expensive marble floor.

This kneeling gesture used up all his strength and courage.

Xue Jingshan slowly turned around, his face not showing the expected rage, but only a deep weariness and a cold scrutiny.

He looked at his grandson kneeling on the ground, trembling slightly, and spoke in a deep voice, each word like a heavy hammer.

“Chen Yunfei told me everything. Now, tell me, what exactly did Luo Fei have on you that made you so afraid that you wanted to kill him to cover it up, even disregarding the Central Inspection Team?”

Xue Shihao raised his head, his face already covered in a mixture of tears and cold sweat, his eyes filled with despair and pleading.

He knew that at this point, hiding it was pointless and might even cause his grandfather to abandon him.

He closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and when he opened them again, it was as if he had used all his strength. In a hoarse voice, he recounted the entire process of how, two years ago, on a rainy night in the suburbs of Shilong Town, he had a drunken altercation with a young woman named Li Xiaolan, how he accidentally strangled her to death, and how, in extreme panic, he alone stuffed the body into the trunk of his car and, taking advantage of the torrential rain, drove dozens of kilometers to sink the car and himself to the bottom of the remote Ximen Reservoir. He spoke in fragments, yet with clear details.

He poured out everything, including how carefully he cleaned up any possible traces afterward, how he fabricated lies, and how terrified he felt every time he heard related news or passed by the reservoir over the past two years. After he finished speaking, he seemed to have lost his soul, collapsed to the ground, and could only weep in suppressed despair.

"evil creature!!!"

Upon hearing this, Xue Jingshan's composure, which he had been maintaining, finally crumbled. He let out a roar, his face instantly turning red, his chest heaving violently, and he was trembling with rage.

He rushed forward, raised his hand, and used all his strength.

With a sharp "smack," a hard slap landed on Xue Shihao's face!
The slap was extremely powerful, and Xue Shihao was knocked to the ground, blood immediately seeping from the corner of his mouth.

"How could I, Xue Jingshan, have given birth to such a reckless and lawless beast like you?!"

Xue Jingshan pointed at Xue Shihao, his fingers trembling, his voice distorted by extreme anger and heartache.

"Does the Xue family lack your money? Do they lack your woman?! Huh?! For a woman who came from who-knows-where, you actually... you actually dared to kill someone! And dump the body! Do you have any respect for the law?! Do you even care about this family?!!"

He became increasingly angry as he spoke, and suddenly his vision went black. A strong wave of dizziness and chest tightness hit him, and he staggered back a few steps, barely managing to stand up by holding onto the heavy mahogany desk.

"Grandpa! Grandpa!"

Ignoring the excruciating pain on his face, Xue Shihao scrambled over to help Xue Jingshan up.

"Get out of the way! Kneel down properly!"

Xue Jingshan shoved him away and gave a hoarse command.

With trembling hands, he pulled a small medicine bottle from his desk drawer, poured out a few nitroglycerin pills, put them in his mouth, and swallowed them dry.

Then he leaned against the table, closed his eyes, and gasped for breath, his chest heaving like a bellows.

After a while, the medicine seemed to take effect, and his breathing gradually calmed down, but his face was still pale, as if he had aged ten years in an instant.

The study was deathly silent, save for Xue Jingshan's heavy breathing and Xue Shihao's suppressed sobs. Xue Jingshan slowly opened his eyes, looking at his grandson kneeling on the ground, disheveled and miserable. His eyes were filled with disappointment, heartache, and a deep sorrow.

He worked hard all his life to build the Xue family empire. Although his methods may not have been entirely honorable, he believed he had a sense of propriety and knew what he could and could not do.

He never imagined that his grandson, on whom he had placed so much hope, would commit such an unforgivable crime, one that could drag the entire Xue family into an abyss of no return! Moreover, two years had passed, and yet an outsider who had inexplicably appeared had found out about it!

"That Luo Fei..."

Xue Jingshan's voice was hoarse and tired.

"Since he knew so much, why didn't he just report it? Or use it to blackmail you? What did he want?"

Xue Shih-hao cried.

Grandpa, I don't know!

He didn't even mention any conditions! He just said it so casually, like he was talking about the weather... That's the scariest part, Grandpa! I have absolutely no idea what he's trying to do! But he definitely didn't just want to scare me!
He was holding this in his hand, and I... I felt like I was being fried in oil every single second! Grandpa, I was wrong! I really know I was wrong! Please, save me! Save the Xue family! I can't go to jail, and I can't be shot, Grandpa!

He crawled on his knees a few steps, hugged Xue Jingshan's legs, and cried with tears streaming down his face.

Seeing his grandson like this, Xue Jingshan felt a mix of emotions. Anger, disappointment, heartache, helplessness... In the end, all these emotions turned into deep exhaustion and a decision that had to be made.

He only had this one grandson, the hope for the future of the Xue family, and the continuation of Xue Jingshan's bloodline. Could they really just stand by and watch him die? Watch the Xue family's century-old foundation crumble because of this? No, that won't do! The Xue family cannot fall! At least, not while Xue Jingshan is still alive!
After a long while, Xue Jingshan let out a long, heavy sigh, a sigh filled with endless desolation and resignation.

"What a tragedy... what a tragedy..."

He seemed to have all his energy drained away in an instant, and his voice became hoarse and weak.

"I, Xue Jingshan, have been shrewd all my life, but I never imagined that in my old age I would have to stain my clothes with blood for your unworthy descendants..."

Hearing his grandfather's tone soften, Xue Shihao suddenly raised his head, his eyes gleaming with hope.

"Grandpa! You...you promised to help me?"

Xue Jingshan didn't answer directly. His eyes sharpened again, but that sharpness carried a cold, ruthless edge, as if he were making a desperate gamble. "That person, his name is Luo Fei, right? He's locked up in the Xishan Detention Center?"

He seemed to be confirming something, or perhaps talking to himself.

"He knows too much."

Moreover, his thoughts are unpredictable; keeping him around will only bring trouble in the long run.

He looked at Xue Shihao, his gaze sharp as a knife.

"You don't need to worry about this anymore, and you absolutely cannot take any further action, especially not to go looking for people yourself! Chen Yunfei is right, with the inspection team here, we can't openly act recklessly."

"Then...what should we do?"

Xue Shih-hao asked eagerly.

Xue Jingshan walked behind his desk, slowly sat down, and unconsciously tapped the smooth surface of the table with his fingers. His eyes looked out at the deep night, as if he were recalling the glorious past, or as if he were planning a dangerous game of chess.

"Some things don't require you to do them yourself."

Detention centers are places where all sorts of people mingle; it's perfectly normal for 'accidents' to happen.

He pondered.

"The key is to make this 'accident' seem reasonable and seamless, so that even if someone wants to investigate, they won't find any trace of human intervention."

He quickly calculated in his mind. Directly bribing a desperate criminal to commit the crime in the cell was too risky and would easily leave clues.

The best approach is to have someone inside the detention center operate the system, using the environment and rules there to create a death that is either "natural" or "negligent."

As for Wang Qiang, the director of Xishan Detention Center... he remembered that he was Chen Yunfei's classmate and seemed to be a person who could be "negotiated". In the past, the Xue family had also dealt with him through Chen Yunfei's connections and had done some small things for him.

"Wang Qiang..."

Xue Jingshan murmured the name, his eyes growing cold. To get the head of a university to take such a big risk, an ordinary exchange of benefits probably wouldn't be enough. It would require a price that was tempting enough, even irresistible, and it would be necessary to ensure that he was firmly tied to the Xue family.

With that in mind, Xue Jingshan no longer hesitated.

He glanced at his grandson kneeling on the ground, gazing longingly at him, and the last trace of hesitation in his heart vanished.

For the sake of the Xue family, and for the sake of this disappointing but only bloodline grandson, he had to resort to some extraordinary measures.

He picked up the internal phone on the table, dialed a number, and gave the order in an unquestionable tone.

"Prepare the car. Also, contact Director Wang Qiang of Xishan Detention Center and tell him that I am Xue Jingshan. I am hosting a banquet at 'Jingyixuan' tomorrow at noon and would like him to attend so that I can discuss important matters with him."

Noon the next day.

Inside the most secluded private room of the "Jingyixuan" private restaurant.

When Wang Qiang received the phone call from Xue Jingshan, he was flattered but also felt a little uneasy. For someone like Xue Jingshan to suddenly invite a mere detention center director to dinner, especially a private banquet, was definitely not just about building a relationship.

He arrived with trepidation. During the meal, Xue Jingshan initially engaged in casual conversation, inquiring about his work at the detention center and showing concern for his family. His amiable manner was truly refreshing. After several rounds of drinks and dishes, Xue Jingshan gradually steered the conversation towards the main topic.

"Chief Wang, I heard that your station recently admitted a new inmate named Luo Fei? He's suspected of intentional assault?"

Xue Jingshan asked casually.

Wang Qiang's heart skipped a beat, and he immediately understood the true purpose of the meal.

He answered cautiously.

"Yes, there is such a person. Mr. Xue, do you know him?"

Xue Jingshan sighed, a look of deep sorrow on his face.

"Sigh, it's embarrassing to talk about."

This Luo Fei has had some conflicts with my good-for-nothing grandson, Shihao. Young people get hot-tempered, and a fight broke out, with Shihao suffering a minor loss. Normally, children fighting would be resolved with an apology. But this Luo Fei not only refuses to admit his mistake, but also spreads rumors outside, slandering my Xue family, and even… attempted to blackmail me, fabricating baseless accusations to ruin Shihao and the reputation of my Xue family.”

He looked at Wang Qiang, his eyes becoming heavy and sincere.

"Director Wang, I only have one grandson, and the Xue family's assets are limited. We really can't withstand the malicious framing and turmoil of such a villain."

Wang Qiang's palms were sweating as he listened. He knew Xue Shihao's character, and he guessed that there was probably more to the so-called "conflict" and "spreading rumors" than met the eye, but he could only speak cautiously.

"Such a thing actually happened? This Luo Fei is far too arrogant and ignorant."

"Yes."

Xue Jingshan nodded, leaned forward slightly, and lowered his voice, conveying a sense of heartfelt sincerity.

"Director Wang, let's not beat around the bush. I invited you here today because I have a favor to ask of you, and I also want to make friends with you."

Whether Luo Fei stays outside or even just stays in the detention center, he is an unstable threat.

If his nonsense gets out, it will certainly cause trouble for my Xue family, and it probably won't be good for you, Director Wang either. After all, if it came from your jurisdiction, it's easy for people to make assumptions.”

Wang Qiang's heart was pounding even faster, but he forced a smile.

"Old Xue, you're exaggerating. Who would take a prisoner's nonsense seriously..."

Xue Jingshan raised his hand to interrupt him, his eyes becoming sharp and direct.

"Director Wang, I'm a straightforward person. I don't like beating around the bush."

He clapped his hands.

The side door of the private room was pushed open, and two Xue family henchmen dressed in black suits and white gloves silently carried in three large, sturdy silver metal boxes, placed them on the ground, and then quickly retreated and closed the door.

Xue Jingshan stood up, walked to the boxes, and personally knelt down to open the lids one by one. In an instant, the private room seemed to be enveloped in a red glow—bundles and bundles of crisp, new hundred-yuan bills were densely and neatly stacked inside the boxes, creating a raw and direct visual impact! All three boxes were filled with cash! (End of Chapter)