Chapter 16: Tracking by Scent

Sniffing the tissue, Luo Fei detected the same scent at the hiding place of the boy in the yellow T-shirt. It was confirmed that this was indeed the boy’s scent.

“What’s going on?” Zhang Haiyang asked.

Hearing the commotion, Zhou Weimin also approached. “Haiyang, Luo Fei, did you two discover something?”

Luo Fei handed the tissue with the scent to Zhou Weimin. “This should belong to the boy in the yellow T-shirt,” he explained, then elaborated on his reasoning to both Zhou Weimin and Zhang Haiyang.

“Luo Fei, your nose is so sharp. Can you track the scent from this tissue?” Zhou Weimin asked excitedly, looking at Luo Fei.

“I’ll give it a try,” Luo Fei replied confidently. He was quite sure he could track down the suspect, thanks to his integrated K-9 olfactory genes. Not long after fusing with these genes, Luo Fei, out of curiosity, used his brother Luo Hao’s clothes to track him and successfully found him at the basketball court.

Following Luo Fei and Zhang Haiyang, Zhou Weimin and the two of them then arrived at a fork in the path. Luo Fei sniffed the air, and sure enough, he detected the scent of the boy in the yellow T-shirt. This increased his confidence in tracking down the two suspects by following the scent.

K-9s can track criminals by scent because each person has a unique smell. This scent is made up of countless molecules that are always in motion. As a person walks, they leave behind scent molecules in their path, which allows the K-9s to follow the trail of the suspect.

After tracking for about 500 metres from the fork, Luo Fei and his companions spotted Liu Haiquan and his partner.

Seeing Zhou Weimin and the others approaching, Liu Haiquan walked over.

“Chief Zhou, we tracked them to this point. This path leads to that house over there. We searched it but found nothing. We suspect they crossed the mulberry field, as it provides a direct route to Xincheng Avenue and then to the county town,” Liu Haiquan explained, pointing to a large mulberry field to the left of the house.

Zhou Weimin glanced at the mulberry field and then looked at Luo Fei.

Without wasting any time, Luo Fei said, “They didn’t go through the mulberry field. They went through the cornfield below.” Without waiting for a response, he took the lead and headed towards the cornfield, with Zhang Haiyang quickly following.

“What are you standing around for? Follow Luo Fei!” Zhou Weimin urged Liu Haiquan and Zhang Da, who were still standing in place.

Emerging from the cornfield, Luo Fei quickly darted into a nearby sugarcane field. Exiting the sugarcane field, he followed the scent down a small path adjacent to it. For about thirty minutes, Luo Fei and his companions continued to track the scent all the way to Daqiao Town, a town just outside Ningjiang County.

“These guys really know how to run!” Zhou Weimin panted, drenched in sweat.

“Luo Fei, are you sure about this?” Liu Haiquan asked skeptically. The idea of tracking suspects by scent seemed almost mystical. Even Zhang Da appeared somewhat doubtful.

“Save your energy for the chase,” Zhang Haiyang snapped, glaring at Liu Haiquan and Zhang Da. Having witnessed Luo Fei’s keen sense of smell before, he had no doubts about Luo Fei’s tracking abilities.

When they reached Daqiao Town, the suspects did not continue straight but instead followed the ring road until they reached Luozigou. From there, they headed uphill for about half an hour, with Luo Fei and his team tracking them all the way to the entrance of the vocational high school.

“Chief Zhou, Mentor Zhang, the suspects’ scent leads inside. They are likely students at this vocational school,” Luo Fei said after confirming the trail, turning to Zhou Weimin and Zhang Haiyang.

“Let’s go in. Luo Fei, you lead the way,” Zhou Weimin instructed, his face dark with concern. Given the current situation, it was highly probable that the suspects were students. If true, this would have serious and damaging implications.

The vocational high school had lax security. As Luo Fei and his team entered, they did not see a single guard at the gate.

Following the scent, Luofei quickly led them to the boys’ dormitory.

Boys’ Dormitory, Third Floor, Room 308.

“Zhu Bin, Liu Cheng, where have you two been? Why are you both so sweaty?” Wang Zhi, who was intensely gaming on the top bunk by the window, could not help but ask when he saw Zhu Bin and Liu Cheng walk in, panting and covered in sweat.

Zhu Bin glanced at Liu Cheng and then smiled. “We were playing one-on-one at the square. It was exhausting.” With that, Zhu Bin did not even bother taking off his shoes before climbing onto his bunk bed. He pulled out his phone and started scrolling, but it was clear from his constant swiping that his mind was elsewhere.

Liu Cheng sat down on his chair, placing his trembling hands on his knees. This was his first crime, and he could still hear his heart pounding in his chest.

After a few minutes, Liu Cheng finally calmed down. He stood up and looked at Zhu Bin, who was lying on the bed. “Zhu Bin, let’s go shower.”

“Okay.” Zhu Bin immediately jumped down from the top bunk.

After changing clothes and grabbing their shower basins, Liu Cheng opened the door.

Several police officers, led by Luo Fei, rushed in, having tracked them by scent.

“It’s them,” Luo Fei said, pointing at Zhu Bin and Liu Cheng. Initially, he did not know Liu Cheng’s scent, but during the chase, he detected an additional smell, identifying it as belonging to the second suspect.

“Get down, get down!” Zhang Haiyang shouted. The officers quickly subdued Zhu Bin and Liu Cheng.

Wang Zhi, who had been engrossed in his game on the top bunk, was shocked by the sudden commotion. He sat frozen on his bed, too scared to move or speak.

Being first-time offenders and minors, Zhu Bin and Liu Cheng soon confessed to the robbery. Zhang Haiyang found the stolen 1,000 RMB in Zhu Bin’s bedding.

As for the bag, phone, and lipstick, Zhu Bin explained that they had discarded them along the way. They thought the bag and lipstick were useless, and they feared the phone could be tracked.

The reason for their crime was simple: they had no money for food.

Both boys were from the same village. Their parents worked out of town, sending them 800 RMB each month for living expenses. Normally, this would have been enough, but recently, they had become addicted to arcade games and spent all their money there. With most of the month still ahead, they were too scared to ask their parents for more money.

Desperate, they decided to rob.

(End of chapter)