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

He didn't dare to continue, but his meaning was clear.

"Besides... my execution orders have already been issued, within the next few days... I might not be able to wait for you..."

Luo Fei patted his shoulder lightly, his tone suddenly becoming relaxed and confident, even carrying a faint, almost mocking smile.

"Zhou Shaokang, you don't need to worry about my safety. I can leave here anytime I want."

The reason I'm still here is to see what other tricks they have up their sleeve, and also to see if I can run into someone like you who has been harmed by them using similar methods.

Zhou Shaokang stared in astonishment, mouth agape. He could leave at any time? This detention center was heavily guarded, yet he spoke of it so casually?

Luo Fei did not explain further, but simply said...

"As for your execution, as long as I am here, they cannot carry it out."

At least, it won't go the way they expect. What you need to do now is stay calm, and as before, don't give yourself away, especially don't let Wang Qiang and Xue Debiao know that you've confessed to me. I will remember your mother and daughter, and their safety will be my priority when I take action. What you need to do now is survive, hold on, and wait for the day the truth comes out. Understand?

Luo Fei's words contained a powerful and unquestionable confidence, like a ray of light that dispelled the deep darkness and despair in Zhou Shaokang's heart.

Despite lingering doubts and an uncertain future, the words "Live on, persevere, and wait until the truth comes out" acted like a shot of adrenaline, injecting strength into his dying heart.

He nodded hard and heavily, tears welling up again, but this time, there seemed to be less despair and more of a vague hope.

"I understand, Officer Luo! I...I'll do whatever you say! I'll pretend, I'll continue to play dumb, pretend to be desperate!"

"Okay. Remember, nothing happened tonight, you just had another nightmare. Go back to sleep."

Luo Fei gave his final instructions.

Zhou Shaokang wiped his face haphazardly with the back of his hand, trying to calm his breathing and heartbeat. Then, carefully and as quietly as possible, he moved back to his cold bunk near the toilet, lay face down again, his body still trembling slightly, but his heart was completely different from a few hours ago.

Luo Fei quietly returned to his bunk, lay down, and closed his eyes. In the cell, Xue Debiao's snoring was still loud, and the other underlings seemed to have fallen asleep again, as if the brief, fate-determining conversation in the corner was just an insignificant ripple in the darkness.

However, while undercurrents were surging within the high walls and electric fences of this police station, the scene outside the high walls at the Dongguan City Police Department was a completely different one, one of intense activity and utter chaos.

It was late at night, but the city police criminal investigation center building was still brightly lit, as if it were daytime. The lobby was filled with the strong smell of coffee and tobacco, mixed with the fatigue and anxiety brought on by staying up all night. The light from computer screens reflected on faces etched with anxiety. The sounds of keyboards clicking, telephones ringing, and hushed conversations rose and fell, but they could not dispel the oppressive atmosphere that hung over the entire building.

All police officers involved in the search for Luo Fei have been ordered to work overtime and are not allowed to go home. Clue investigation, surveillance footage review, interviews with relevant persons... all conventional and unconventional methods are being used, but the national security cadre named Luo Fei is like a drop of water merging into the ocean; since leaving the hotel that day, there has been no reliable trace of him.

He simply vanished from the face of the earth in this modern city, where surveillance networks are everywhere.

Director Zhong Baoyu's anger had completely erupted during tonight's emergency meeting. At this moment, the atmosphere in the small conference room had plummeted to freezing point. Around the rectangular conference table sat the heads of several key departments, including criminal investigation, technical investigation, and cybersecurity, each sitting upright, their faces grave, barely daring to breathe. Director Zhong Baoyu, sitting at the head of the table, was about fifty years old, overweight, and his hair was meticulously combed. But at this moment, his face, which usually carried a certain official authority and reserve, was clouded with gloom, and the veins on his forehead throbbed faintly.

He slammed his hand on the heavy solid wood conference table with a loud "bang," making the teacups on the table jump.

"Useless! You're all a bunch of useless trash!"

Zhong Baoyu's roar echoed in the well-soundproofed conference room, making everyone's eardrums ache.

"Three days! A full seventy-two hours have passed! Tell me, where are they?!"

A perfectly healthy person!

A high-ranking official from the national security system! Gone, right here in Dongguan?! What was your criminal investigation team doing? The Skynet project cost tens of millions, was it just used as a decorative painting?!

His gaze swept over Chen Yunfei, the deputy director sitting at the head of the left seat, his face ashen, like a knife.

Chen Yunfei is the person directly in charge of this disappearance case on the surface, and he is currently bearing the brunt of the pressure.

"Director Chen."

Zhong Baoyu's voice was icy cold, no longer addressing Yunfei as "Yunfei," but instead carrying a stern, businesslike tone.

"What did you promise me before? Hmm? A comprehensive investigation, focused surveillance, and a breakthrough within 24 hours? And now? Where's the breakthrough? Are you going to tell me that this Comrade Luo Fei can fly or disappear into the earth, or that he was abducted by aliens?!"

Chen Yunfei's lips moved as he tried to explain.

"Director Zhong, this case is indeed a bit strange. We reviewed all the surveillance footage around the hotel, and Luo Fei's route after leaving the hotel ended after passing through several blind spots in the old city."

His cell phone signal eventually disappeared near the western suburbs, where the terrain is complex and there are many abandoned factories, making the search time-consuming.

Moreover, based on the limited information provided by the National Security Bureau, Comrade Luo Fei's trip to Dongguan City this time is very likely on a secret investigation mission. Whether his 'disappearance' is related to his mission, or whether there is a possibility that he deliberately concealed his whereabouts, are things we need to consider..."

"Consider? How am I supposed to consider this?!"

Zhong Baoyu rudely interrupted Chen Yunfei, his finger almost touching Chen Yunfei's nose.

I don't care what his mission is!
He's missing in Dongguan! No trace of him, neither alive nor dead! Do you know what that means?! The National Security Headquarters and the Provincial Department are calling non-stop, demanding his return! The pressure to hold him accountable is mounting, and I'm the first to take the fall! And then you, Chen Yunfei!

He took a deep breath, seemingly trying to suppress his anger, but his voice became even more sinister.

"I don't want to hear any explanations, any excuses! I just want results! Chen Yunfei, give me a straight answer, how much longer? How much longer until you find him?! I want to see him alive or dead!"

The meeting room was completely silent; everyone lowered their heads, afraid of angering the bureau chief, who was in a fit of rage.

Chen Yunfei's facial muscles twitched a few times. He knew that any explanation at this moment would be futile. Under immense political pressure and strict supervision from superiors, the timeframe for solving the case was the only thing on his mind.

He gritted his teeth, met Zhong Baoyu's piercing gaze, and said in a deep voice.

"Director Zhong, give me two more days."

Within forty-eight hours, I will definitely… “Two days?”

Zhong Baoyu sneered.

"Alright, I'll give you two more days! Forty-eight hours! Chen Yunfei, listen carefully, this is the final deadline! If I still can't see Luo Fei or get a report on his exact whereabouts after two days, then your job as the deputy director in charge of criminal investigation is over! Write your own report and go find a quieter position!"

After saying these merciless words, Zhong Baoyu ignored the ugly expressions on Chen Yunfei's and the others' faces, abruptly stood up, and the chair legs scraped against the ground with a screeching sound.

He grabbed his notebook and thermos from the table, slammed the door shut in a huff, and stormed out.

"boom!"

The conference room door slammed shut, the echo reverberating in the room and striking a chord deep within everyone's hearts.

After a long while, no one dared to breathe a sigh of relief. The head of the criminal investigation team looked at Chen Yunfei with a bitter face.

"Director Chen, this... Director Zhong is really furious this time."

Two days... that's way too short. Even if we mobilize all auxiliary police and security forces for a thorough search of the old city and western suburbs, two days might not be enough.

And what if... what if Comrade Luo Fei has really met with misfortune..."

"enough!"

Chen Yunfei interrupted the squad leader's complaint with a low shout.

His face was as black as the bottom of a pot, and his temples throbbed. Zhong Baoyu's last words were tantamount to issuing an ultimatum, pushing him into a corner.

He glanced around at his dejected subordinates, knowing that morale had plummeted to rock bottom, but now was not the time to be discouraged.

He suddenly stood up, placed his hands on the table, and swept his gaze over everyone. His voice was hoarse but carried a fierce edge.

"Did you all hear what the director said? Two days! Forty-eight hours! From now on, everyone, cancel all leave and live and eat at the bureau! Technical Investigation, go through all the electronic data in the city that might be relevant in the seventy-two hours before and after Luo Fei's disappearance again. Don't let any anomaly slip by! Cyber ​​Security, continue to dig deeper into his social connections and possible online contacts! Criminal Investigation, expand the search area to the western suburbs, the old city, and all the exit records from major traffic arteries. Investigate every inch of the city! Interview every taxi driver, shop clerk, and passerby who might have seen him! I don't care what methods you use, I must see Luo Fei or find a definite clue to his whereabouts in two days! Otherwise, before I, Chen Yunfei, am fired, not one of you will have a good time! Do you understand?!"

"understand!"

The group responded listlessly, their faces etched with exhaustion and helplessness. The next two days were destined to be 48 hours of sleepless, stressful work.

Chen Yunfei waved wearily.

"Meeting adjourned! Everyone, get moving!"

Everyone felt as if they had been granted a pardon, yet also as if they were burdened with even heavier shackles. They all got up, dragged their weary steps out of the conference room, and threw themselves back into the arduous search that felt like looking for a needle in a haystack.

Chen Yunfei remained alone in the empty conference room. He lit a cigarette, took a deep drag, and through the swirling smoke, his eyes were filled with anxiety, confusion, and a hint of deep-seated anger. Luo Fei…where are you? Are you dead or alive? Was your disappearance an accident, or the beginning of some enormous vortex?
Under the immense pressure of the chief's furious outburst and the deadline for solving the case, the entire police station, like a tightly wound toy, continued its weary and anxious operation late into the night, searching for the whereabouts of Luo Fei, the mysteriously missing national security police officer.

Within the high walls and electric fences, the undercurrents of night and the solemnity of daytime seem like two separate worlds.

As Zhou Shaokang, clinging to the faint hope offered by Luo Fei, forced himself to lie back down on his cold bunk and try to fall asleep, he was unaware that the disappearance of "Officer Luo," whom he considered his only lifeline, was causing increasingly serious repercussions within the Dongguan City Police Department, almost pushing the entire criminal investigation system to its limit.

Meanwhile, in the wider city, some people were anxious and tormented by his "disappearance".

This person is Ruan Jiaxin.

Ever since that day at the entrance of "Jingyixuan" when Luo Fei rescued her from Xue Shihao's clutches like a divine intervention, and was subsequently taken away by the police for seriously injuring Xue Shihao and his men, Ruan Jiaxin's heart has never truly found peace. Days have passed, and Luo Fei has been locked up in that "detention center" she'd only ever heard of on television—a symbol of criminal activity and personal confinement—for two whole days now.

In the past two days, no news about him has come out, as if he has been completely swallowed up by that heavy door and cut off from all contact with the outside world.

Ruan Jiaxin barely slept for the past two nights.

When she closed her eyes, all she could see was Luo Fei's broad yet solitary back as he stood in front of her, and the calm, even reassuring look in his eyes as he looked back at her before being led into the car by the police.

The calmer her gaze, the heavier the guilt and unease in her heart became.

She knew that Luo Fei had gotten himself into this huge trouble because he was trying to help her.

If it weren't for her, he might still be an ordinary passerby with a mysterious past, instead of being trapped in a predicament with an uncertain future.

On the morning of the third day, just as dawn was breaking, Ruan Jiaxin could no longer sit still. The heavy sense of responsibility deep within her heart and the anxiety she could not shake off drove her to the police station once again.

This time, she was no longer as lost as she had been the first time. Instead, she went directly to the relevant reception window, mustered her courage, and asked the police officer on duty about Luo Fei's situation.

However, the news she received made her heart sink and feel a chill run down her spine.

"Luo Fei?"

She was greeted by a middle-aged policewoman with a serious and businesslike expression. She glanced through the internal system records and informed her in a flat tone.

"He has been criminally detained in accordance with the law and transferred to the city's No. 1 Detention Center. The case is under further investigation."

Detention center!

These three words pierced Ruan Jiaxin's ears like icicles.

Although she was just a girl from out of town who came to work and had little education, she knew that in Daxia, only people suspected of criminal offenses and formally investigated would be sent to detention centers.

This was tantamount to telling her explicitly that Luo Fei's "intentional assault" had been preliminarily determined by the police to be no longer a simple public order case. (End of Chapter)