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

"Luo Fei, this is no small matter."

These people are all seasoned officials with deeply intertwined interests. Without irrefutable evidence and immense pressure, how could they possibly speak up voluntarily? Let alone approach the inspection team willingly.

"It's man-made."

Luo Fei smiled slightly, a smile that carried an indescribable confidence.

"Minister Zhang, if you trust me, you can give it a try. I suggest that you, on behalf of the inspection team, formally notify He Wenbin, Director of the Education Bureau of Dongguan City, Zhou Sheng, Director of the Transportation Bureau, Zeng Ke, Director of the Land and Resources Bureau, Su Mingyuan, Director of the Finance Bureau, Li Bin, Director of the Planning Bureau, and... also Liu Zhenye, the president of the First People's Hospital of Dongguan City, and ask them to come to your place for 'tea' tomorrow morning. Just say that there are some things we need to ask them about."

Zhang Wenzhong listened to this string of names. These were all top officials in key departments of Dongguan City, and also individuals the inspection team had highly focused on and suspected of having ties to the Xue family's interest group during their initial investigations. How could Luo Fei have so accurately pinpointed these people, and even summoned them all at once? What was he trying to do? What made him think these people would "voluntarily confess"?
Seeing the undisguised shock and doubt on Zhang Wenzhong's face, Luo Fei added.

"Don't worry, it's just a normal work meeting. You don't need to say anything more, just invite them to the same meeting room, and leave the rest to me. I assure you, the result will not disappoint you."

Even if it fails, it will not have any negative impact on the inspection team's existing work.

Zhang Wenzhong stared at Luo Fei for a long time, and in those young but unfathomable eyes, he saw an undeniable confidence.

Thinking of the "miracles" Luo Fei had created before, and of the old squad leader's bloodline, the scales in his heart gradually tipped.

Finally, he took a deep breath and slammed his hand on the table.

"Alright! I'll believe you this time! Let's see what other tricks you can pull, Deputy Team Leader Du."

He called out towards the door.

Du Jian'an, deputy head of the inspection team, entered in response.

Zhang Wenzhong gave the instructions.

"Immediately issue a formal notice in the name of the inspection team office to He Wenbin of the Municipal Education Bureau, Zhou Sheng of the Transportation Bureau, Zeng Ke of the Land and Resources Bureau, Su Mingyuan of the Finance Bureau, Li Bin of the Planning Bureau, and Liu Zhenye of the First Municipal Hospital, asking them to come to Conference Room 1 on the third floor of our premises at 9:00 AM tomorrow for a discussion on relevant work matters. Use a formal tone but do not reveal any additional information."

Although Du Jian'an had many doubts, he immediately accepted the order and carried it out.

This night was destined to be sleepless for many. The news of Fan Chuncheng's collapse and the rumors of the inspection team's massive seizure of illicit funds and goods, although strictly controlled within a very small circle, still stirred up unimaginable undercurrents and panic in certain specific circles, like a boulder thrown into a calm lake.

The next morning, starting at 8:50, several bureau chiefs and deans who had received the notification arrived one after another at the six-story building, which they may not have paid much attention to before, but now felt particularly oppressed by.

Each person was led to a small meeting room on the third floor to wait, without seeing each other.

At 9:00 AM sharp, Zhang Wenzhong, Du Jian'an, and two other core team members sat in the monitoring room next door, with the screen in front of them connected to the camera in Conference Room 1.

They all wanted to see for themselves what Luo Fei was up to.

Luo Fei, alone, entered Conference Room Number One first. The conference room was simply furnished, with a rectangular conference table and a few chairs.

He walked straight to the head seat and sat down, looking calm and composed.

Soon, there was a knock on the conference room door, and the first person brought in was He Wenbin, the director of the Education Bureau.

He Wenbin was in his forties, wearing gold-rimmed glasses and looking very refined, but he had heavy eye bags, clearly indicating that he hadn't slept well the night before.

He pushed the door open and entered, trying his best to maintain his usual slightly humble smile. However, when his gaze fell on the young man in the main seat, his smile froze instantly, and his eyes widened as if he had seen a ghost in broad daylight!
"You...you...you are..."

He Wenbin pointed at Luo Fei, his fingers trembling, and he could barely speak.

How could he forget that face! Not long ago, in the city detention center, there was that young man who was locked up for "fighting," who seemed like a simpleton but always asked strange questions, and who eventually used secrets to blackmail him and force him to hand over the USB drive!
What's he doing here? And sitting in the main seat?

Luo Fei looked at He Wenbin, smiled slightly, and spoke in a calm tone.

"Director He, it's nice to see you again. Let me introduce myself, I'm Luo Fei, from the National Security Bureau."

He is also the special deputy leader of the provincial party committee's inspection team for this operation. Last time at the detention center, it was for work purposes; we were conducting some preliminary investigations. The methods used might have startled Director He, please forgive us.”

Special deputy team leader? Preliminary investigation? He Wenbin's mind went blank.

He initially thought the other party was just a hoodlum or a small-time reporter with some connections, but he never expected... that he was actually from the National Security Bureau? Or even the deputy head of the inspection team? The things he had been tricked into handing over... A chill ran from the soles of his feet to the top of his head, and He Wenbin's face turned deathly pale in an instant, his back instantly soaked with cold sweat.

His legs went weak and he could barely stand. He managed to hold onto the back of a chair to keep from collapsing.

"Please sit down, Director He. Let's wait for the other comrades to arrive."

Luo Fei pointed to the chair on one side of the conference table.

He Wenbin mechanically moved over, slumped into the chair, his mind a mess, filled only with endless fear and regret.

He's finished. The other side must have something on him. He's probably in big trouble today...

Just then, the door was pushed open again, and Zhou Sheng, the director of the Transportation Bureau, walked in.

Zhou Sheng was around fifty years old, slightly overweight, and usually had a commanding presence. At this moment, however, he was frowning and preoccupied.

As soon as he entered, he saw Luo Fei in the main seat and was stunned for a moment. He felt that the young man was a bit unfamiliar. Then he saw He Wenbin, who was pale and looked lost, and he was even more surprised.

"Director Zhou, please have a seat."

Luo Fei smiled back at him.

"I am Luo Fei, the deputy head of the inspection team."

Zhou Sheng nodded, sat down opposite He Wenbin with a belly full of suspicion, and couldn't help but glance at He Wenbin a few more times, a strange unease rising in his heart.

When He Wenbin saw Zhou Sheng enter, especially when he met Zhou Sheng's questioning gaze, his heart pounded wildly.

Zhou Sheng's secret... I told that "Luo Fei" back then to protect myself! Now Zhou Sheng is here too... Could it be...?

In the next few minutes, Zeng Ke, director of the Land and Resources Bureau, Su Mingyuan, director of the Finance Bureau, Li Bin, director of the Planning Bureau, and Liu Zhenye, president of the First Municipal Hospital, were successively invited into the conference room.

Everyone who entered was taken aback when they saw the excessively young Luo Fei in the main seat. Seeing the grim faces of the earlier bureau chiefs, their unease intensified. Especially when they realized that those present were colleagues who held important positions and had close ties with the Xue family or Fan Chuncheng, a premonition of impending doom gripped their hearts like a cold, venomous snake.

Finally, Vice Mayor Fan Chuncheng, with a pale face, empty eyes, and being escorted by two guards, was also brought in and placed in a separate seat at the end of the conference table.

His appearance was like the last straw that broke the camel's back, instantly lowering the atmosphere in the conference room to freezing point, making the air so heavy it was suffocating.

Looking at Fan Chuncheng, who was once high and mighty but now looked like a stray dog, and recalling the terrible rumors they had heard last night, the bureau chiefs all turned pale and found it difficult to even breathe.

In the monitoring room, Deputy Team Leader Du Jian'an couldn't help but whisper to Zhang Wenzhong.

"Minister Zhang, what exactly is Comrade Luo Fei trying to do? He's gathered all these people together without immediately presenting evidence for questioning. Isn't this giving them an opportunity to collude or unify their thinking? And judging from their expressions, besides fear, they also seem to..."

Zhang Wenzhong stared intently at the screen, his brows furrowed slightly; he too couldn't fathom Luo Fei's intentions.

But he chose to believe.

"Let's wait and see, Jian'an. Luo Fei must have his reasons for doing this. Let's observe and see how things develop."

Inside the meeting room, Luo Fei calmly swept his gaze over everyone present, taking in their panic, fear, and suspicion.

He tapped the table lightly and began to speak.

"Alright, everyone's here. Let me formally introduce myself again. I'm Luo Fei, Director of the Dongguan City Branch of the National Security Bureau, and also the Special Deputy Leader of the Provincial Party Committee's Inspection Team stationed in Dongguan City. I've invited all the directors and deans here today for no other reason than to have a chat with you all and tell you a story."

Tell a story? Everyone was stunned and looked at Luo Fei with confusion.

Luo Fei said slowly and deliberately.

"When I was a child, I heard a fable about a boy who was very curious about other people's secrets."

But he discovered that asking directly wouldn't get him the answer. Later, he devised a plan: the best way to find out someone's secret wasn't to ask them directly, but to ask someone else who already knew it.

He paused, his gaze seemingly casually sweeping over He Wenbin, Zhou Sheng, Zeng Ke, and the others.

The bodies of those people stiffened almost imperceptibly.

"To give an example."

Luo Fei continued in that calm tone, as if he were truly telling a story.

"For example, a fish told me that a turtle stole lotus flowers from the pond."

Then, I can use this secret of 'the turtle stealing the lotus' to find the turtle.

The tortoise, fearing exposure, might tell me another secret to keep it a secret, such as, "Crabs always dig holes under rocks at night."

Then, I use the secret of 'crabs digging holes' to find crabs... and so on."

Hearing this, He Wenbin's forehead was already covered in a fine layer of cold sweat, Zhou Sheng's breathing became heavy, Zeng Ke's fingers twisted together under the table, Su Mingyuan's face grew paler, and Li Bin's eyes began to dart around... They weren't stupid; they vaguely guessed what Luo Fei's "allegory" was referring to, and it was precisely their deepest nightmare—the secrets they had exchanged for self-preservation or personal gain had become someone else's leverage, and might have formed a deadly cycle in this terrifying young man's hands!
Luo Fei took in their reactions, his tone remaining calm, but he began to call out names.

"Director Zhou Sheng of the Transportation Bureau, the unusual relationship and interactions between you and the Vice Mayor's wife were told to me personally by Director He Wenbin of the Education Bureau."

"boom!"

Zhou Sheng was struck hard. He turned his head sharply and stared at He Wenbin, whose face was ashen. His eyes were instantly filled with shock, anger, resentment and disbelief! He Wenbin did not dare to meet his gaze. He lowered his head and trembled all over.

Luo Fei's voice continued, like the Grim Reaper's roll call.

"Director Zeng of the Land and Resources Bureau, your son caused a fatal car accident a few years ago, and in the end, your uncle used his connections to settle the matter and tamper with the determination of responsibility."

This secret was revealed to me by Zhou Sheng, the director of the Transportation Bureau.

Zeng Ke suddenly looked up at Zhou Sheng, whose face was ashen and who was also in shock. His lips trembled, but he couldn't make a sound.

"Director Su Mingyuan of the Finance Bureau, you have abused your position to provide convenience to certain enterprises and accepted huge amounts of shares, as well as some issues related to your personal lifestyle."

These details were provided to me by Director Zeng of the Land and Resources Bureau.

Su Mingyuan stared at Zeng Ke in shock, but Zeng Ke kept his head down, avoiding his gaze.

"Director Li Bin of the Planning Bureau, there is an old story about how you used your project approval authority to coerce a female subordinate into having a relationship with you many years ago, which led to her depression and resignation."

This secret came from Su Mingyuan, the director of the Finance Bureau.

Li Bin's face flushed red instantly, then turned deathly pale. He abruptly turned to look at Su Mingyuan, his eyes filled with murderous intent.

Su Mingyuan closed his eyes in pain.

Luo Fei finally turned his gaze to Fan Chuncheng, who was slumped at the back and seemed to have lost his soul. His voice echoed clearly in the deathly silent conference room.

"As for Vice Mayor Fan Chuncheng, the core evidence chain of your long-term improper relationships with multiple female subordinates and your abuse of power to seek benefits for them and their relatives, as well as your acceptance of huge bribes through front men and your giving the Xue family the green light in multiple projects... Some of the key clues and indicative information were provided to me by Director Li Bin of the Planning Bureau."

Fan Chuncheng's empty eyes shifted slightly as he looked at Li Bin. His gaze was devoid of any light, filled only with a deathly indifference, which sent a chill down Li Bin's spine.

After Luo Fei finished speaking, revealing everyone's most secret and sordid secrets, the conference room fell into a complete, deathly silence. Only heavy, suppressed breathing and the faint, chattering of teeth could be heard.

Everyone felt as if they had been stripped naked and thrown into the freezing snow, completely exposed. Shame, fear, anger, feelings of betrayal, despair... all sorts of emotions intertwined and clashed, almost suffocating them.

They kept their heads bowed, some with unfocused eyes, some with flushed faces, and some pale as death. No one dared to look at anyone else, much less at Luo Fei, who sat in the main seat. Former colleagues, in each other's eyes, had become traitors and enemies who had betrayed them and caused their utter ruin.

The atmosphere of mutual suspicion, resentment, and defensiveness almost solidified into a tangible reality.

Luo Fei slowly stood up, seemingly finding the air in the conference room too stagnant. (End of Chapter)