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

It was a deathly silence, a silence of utter surrender, awaiting the inevitable end. Luo Fei's gaze deepened.

A man sentenced to death for using a replica gun, a man implied by Xue Debiao that "the water is deep," and now a man summoned by Wang Qiang alone, returned in this state... The connection between these events compels him to ponder deeply.

He vaguely sensed that an invisible net was quietly tightening around him, using this desperate death row inmate as its focal point.

……

Time passed quickly, and it was soon bedtime. All the cell lights were turned off, leaving only a low-wattage lamp on the corridor wall, casting a dim, yellowish light that barely outlined the objects in the cells. Under this daily routine, most of the inmates fell asleep quickly, their snores rising and falling in waves.

Xue Debiao, in particular, had a unique snoring style. Sometimes it was long and drawn out like a bellows, sometimes short and sharp like a motorcycle starting up, and sometimes it was interspersed with a few muffled murmurs in his sleep, which sounded especially loud in the quiet night.

Luo Fei lay on his bunk, his head throbbing from the "symphony."

Although he possessed many abilities, he did not have the ability to specifically shield his hearing, so at this moment he could only helplessly endure the onslaught of noise.

He tried counting sheep, tried to recall quiet details, but Xue Debiao's snoring always precisely interrupted his thoughts. After tossing and turning for more than an hour, sleepiness finally began to slowly and stubbornly rise like a tide, and his eyelids gradually became heavy.

Just as Luo Fei's consciousness was about to sink into the shallows of sleep, a subtle, almost instinctive alertness suddenly pulled him back. It wasn't a sound, but an extremely subtle change in the airflow, and... a feeling of being watched.

He maintained even breathing, his eyes slightly open, barely perceptible.

In the dim light streaming in from the corridor, he saw a figure standing silently beside his bunk. It was Zhou Shaokang.

He was wearing thin prison clothes, and his figure appeared particularly thin and hunched in the dim light.

His face was hidden in the shadows, making it impossible to see his expression, but Luo Fei could feel his focused, struggling, and desperate gaze fixed intently on him.

What made Luo Fei even more alarmed was that Zhou Shaokang seemed to be tightly gripping something in one of his hands hanging by his side.

The object reflected an extremely faint, cold metallic luster in the dim light—long and narrow with a sharp tip, like a rough dagger made from some hard material, or a sharpened… toothbrush handle? In detention centers, some prisoners always manage to find materials to create such crude but deadly weapons.

He's after me! Luo Fei understood instantly.

Wang Qiang would call him over alone during the day, and at night he would sneak to his bedside with the murder weapon, his purpose was self-evident.

It seems my previous guess was correct; the Xue family is already impatient and has even begun to use this death row inmate in dire straits as a weapon.

Luo Fei immediately held his breath, and his muscles instantly adjusted to a state that seemed relaxed but was actually ready to explode at any moment.

At the same time, he secretly activated the basic defense enhancement brought by his superhuman physique, subtly increasing the density of his skin and muscles and his reaction speed, in order to prevent the opponent from suddenly launching a fatal attack.

He kept his eyes closed, even deliberately making his breathing longer and more even, mimicking the sound of snoring when asleep, in order to confuse the other party.

However, after waiting a few seconds, the expected swift attack did not come.

In the darkness, only Zhou Shaokang's heavy and suppressed breathing could be heard, along with a faint clacking sound that seemed to come from his teeth clenched tightly together.

Was he hesitating? Was he afraid?
Luo Fei couldn't help but widen his eyes a little, trying to see what Zhou Shaokang was doing.

But what he saw was something completely unexpected.

Zhou Shaokang did not raise the crude "dagger" to stab him. Instead, his knees buckled, and he silently knelt down in front of Luo Fei's bed. In the dim light, Luo Fei saw large tears rolling down Zhou Shaokang's face, his facial muscles contorted, filled with extreme pain and struggle.

Then, trembling, he turned the sharpened toothbrush handle in his hand around, pointing the sharp tip at his chest and heart!
His lips moved as if he were silently muttering something, perhaps saying goodbye to his family, or perhaps cursing his fate. Then, he closed his eyes, a resolute look flashing across his face, and with a burst of strength, he was about to plunge the sharp thorn into his own heart!

At this critical moment, Luo Fei made a move.

His body, which had been "sleeping," sprang up as if springy, his movements swift and ghostly. His left hand, like an iron clamp, precisely gripped Zhou Shaokang's wrist, which was holding the murder weapon. With a skillful twist, the crude "dagger" flew out of his hand and landed silently on the cement ground beside him. His right hand swiftly covered Zhou Shaokang's mouth, silencing any cry or sob that was about to escape his lips.

All of this happened in the blink of an eye, almost without making a sound.

But the people in the cell were under constant tension and were extremely sensitive to any unusual noises. Xue Debiao, in the bunk next to him, was the first to be startled awake. He sat up abruptly and hissed.

"Who?!"

The other henchmen also woke up groggily, rubbing their eyes and looking in the direction of the sound.

When they saw, by the dim light, Luo Fei sitting half-sitting on the bunk, one hand covering Zhou Shaokang's mouth, while Zhou Shaokang knelt on the ground trembling violently, and there was something on the ground that was clearly the murder weapon, everyone was stunned, and their sleepiness vanished instantly.

"Fei...Brother Fei? This...this is..."

A younger brother stammered, shrinking back in fright.

Luo Fei winked at Xue Debiao and shook his head, signaling him to keep quiet for now. Xue Debiao understood, and despite his doubts and wariness, he lowered his voice and spoke to the others.

"Lie down! It's okay! You can all go to sleep!"

His authority was still intact, and although his underlings were afraid, they obediently lay back down, but they all opened their eyes wide and listened intently to the commotion.

Luo Fei then slowly released his hand from Zhou Shaokang's mouth.

Zhou Shaokang didn't shout or yell. He seemed to have all his strength drained away, and collapsed to the ground. His emotions, which had been suppressed for a long time, finally broke down, and he began to sob softly, but with endless despair and pain. His face was covered with tears and snot.

Luo Fei got off the bunk, bent down to pick up the sharpened toothbrush handle, looked at it, then squatted down in front of Zhou Shaokang, lowered his voice, and spoke in a calm tone that was almost cold.

"Zhou Shaokang, didn't you come here to kill me? What? You can't bring yourself to do it? Instead, you want to commit suicide?"

Zhou Shaokang raised his tear-blurred face and looked into Luo Fei's eyes, which were still clear and bright in the dim light. There was no fear or anger in them, only a calm that understood everything.

This calm only made him more distraught.

"I...I can't do it...I've never even killed a chicken...How could I dare to kill someone...I can't...I really can't..."

He cried incoherently, his voice hoarse and broken.

"But...if I don't do it...what will happen to my mom and Niu Niu...what will happen to them...waaaaaah..."

The immense injustice, the guilt towards his family, the fear of those who forced him to kill, and the despair of his own fate—all these emotions combined almost burst his chest.

Luo Fei watched him quietly, listening to his broken sobs, and his heart was filled with understanding.

It seems that his previous "warning shot" at Xue Shihao, as well as Xue Jingshan's personal intervention and Wang Qiang's unusual behavior, had indeed pushed the other party to the point where he had to silence him immediately.

They couldn't even wait to create a more "natural" accident; they were eager to use Zhou Shaokang, who had already been sentenced to death and had sufficient motive to "take revenge on society" or "conflict with fellow inmates," to carry out this dirty deed.

Their leverage in controlling Zhou Shaokang was undoubtedly his family, whom he cared about most. Zhou Shaokang's cries were exceptionally clear in the silent cell. Although suppressed, the despair in them sent a chill down the spines of Xue Debiao and the others who were pretending to sleep in the distance.

Luo Fei knew that he couldn't let Zhou Shaokang continue crying like this, or it would easily attract the attention of the night patrol.

He patted Zhou Shaokang on the shoulder, the force was light, but it had a strange calming effect.

"Don't cry."

Do you want to save your mother and daughter?

He asked in a low voice.

These words were like a mute button being pressed, and Zhou Shaokang's crying stopped abruptly.

He suddenly looked up, his swollen eyes fixed on Luo Fei, filled with disbelief and a faint, untouchable spark of hope.

"What...what did you say?"

Luo Fei did not answer, but pointed to the innermost corner of the cell, near the wall, which was the darkest corner and the least likely to be observed from the doorway.

"Let's talk over there."

He was the first to get up and walk over.

Zhou Shaokang hesitated for a moment, then scrambled to his feet and followed. Seeing this, Xue Debiao gestured to his underlings to "go back to sleep and ignore it," and lay down himself, but his ears were perked up, his curiosity about Luo Fei and a certain vague expectation growing stronger.

The two crouched down in the shadows of a corner, almost swallowed by the darkness. Luo Fei asked directly.

"Tell me first, did Wang Qiang call you over today to threaten you with your mother and daughter, asking you to kill me?"

Zhou Shaokang trembled, staring at Luo Fei in horror. He nodded subconsciously, then shook his head frantically, stammering incoherently.

"How...how did you know? He...he did say it...but I...I didn't agree! I really didn't want to kill you! I couldn't do it! I'd rather die myself..."

As she spoke, tears welled up in her eyes again.

"I believe you didn't intend to kill me, otherwise you wouldn't have aimed at yourself just now."

Luo Fei's tone softened somewhat.

"Now, answer my other question. You've been protesting your innocence, saying you were framed for possessing firearms. Is that true?"

This question seemed to touch upon Zhou Shaokang's deeper pain and fear.

His face grew even paler in the dim light, his lips trembled, and his eyes were filled with struggle. After a long while, he nodded very slightly, his voice barely audible.

"……yes.

But I... I can't say it... If I do, my mom and Niu Niu will really be finished..."

"Is the person who forced you to take the blame the same person who is now forcing you to kill someone?"

Luo Fei pressed for an answer.

Zhou Shaokang suddenly raised his head, his eyes wide, as if Luo Fei had spoken out the deepest, most unspoken thought in his heart.

He opened his mouth, but no sound came out; however, his terrified eyes said it all.

Luo Fei understood.

He leaned close to Zhou Shaokang and whispered in a voice that was extremely clear and certain, only the two of them could hear.

“Zhou Shaokang, listen carefully. I, Luo Fei, am not an ordinary prisoner. I am a special police officer from the national security system. I am here in Dongguan with a special mission assigned by my superiors: to conduct a secret investigation. Your case, and the things they are forcing you to do now, are very likely related to some things I am investigating.”

Zhou Shaokang was completely stunned, frozen like a statue, even forgetting to shed tears. National Security? Special Police? Secret Investigation? These words were too far removed from his ordinary world, but now, hearing them from Luo Fei's mouth, coupled with his eyes that still shone brightly in the darkness, they possessed a strange power that compelled one to believe them.

"You...you really are..."

Zhou Shaokang's voice was extremely dry.

"I have no reason to lie to a dying man."

Luo Fei's tone was calm yet firm.

"Now, you have two paths in front of you."

First, continue listening to Wang Qiang and try to kill me or commit suicide. The result is that you die, and your mother and daughter might get some money, but they will forever live in the pain and shadow of losing you. Moreover, the person who drove you to your death may not sincerely keep their promise, and might even be trying to eliminate any future trouble…”

He didn't finish his sentence, but the meaning was clear.

Zhou Shaokang's body began to tremble violently.

"The second way."

Luo Fei continued.

"Trust me, cooperate with me. Tell me everything you know, in as much detail as possible, about who framed you and why. I assure you, as long as I, Luo Fei, can leave here alive, I will do everything in my power to find out the truth of your case and clear your name."

At the same time, I will use all my connections and resources to ensure the safety of your mother and daughter, and do my best to secure the compensation and care they deserve.

In the darkness, Luo Fei's gaze, like a cold star, was fixed on Zhou Shaokang.

"Which path you choose is up to you."

But remember, once you die, it's all over. Your grievances will be buried forever, and the future of your family will depend entirely on the conscience of the wicked.

But if you choose to believe me, at least there's a glimmer of hope—for yourself and for your family.

Hope... a word that Zhou Shaokang had long since become too luxurious to even imagine, now appeared before him like the faintest ray of light in the darkness, weak yet undeniably real.

He looked at Luo Fei, then thought about his inhuman suffering these past few days, about Wang Qiang's cold threats, and then about his mother and daughter's faces... The desire to live and the almost extinguished hope for justice, like wild grass touched by the spring breeze, began to grow wildly in the depths of his dead heart.

He suddenly grabbed Luo Fei's arm, gripping it so tightly it was as if he were grasping at his last straw. (End of Chapter)