The group chatted casually for a while, slightly easing the tense, almost suffocating atmosphere in the room before Wang Yu finally asked, "Captain Yang, has the identity of the newly discovered victim been confirmed?"
Captain Yang replied, "Yes, it's confirmed. The victim's name is Tian Junming, 17 years old. He went missing after leaving his residential complex on July 11th, and his body was discovered on the 12th. Someone reported it to the police. Captain Geng is currently leading a team to investigate his social connections, and the relevant surveillance footage is being retrieved. It should start coming in by this afternoon."
At the mention of surveillance footage, Guan Xia's eyes, which had felt nothing moments ago, suddenly began to sting. The strain on her eyes was almost comparable to those sleepless nights she'd spent drawing comics.
"Based on the existing clues, has the suspect's profile been narrowed down?" Jiang Yingyao asked.
Little Yan spoke up abruptly, "Judging by the traces left at the scene, we can roughly determine that the suspect is an adult male, aged between 25 and 50, standing between 1.75 to 1.85 meters tall, and very physically strong. He's left-handed and most likely a local of Jianyang City, familiar with the city's road conditions. His occupation likely involves high mobility, allowing him to move around streets and alleys at any time without drawing attention—jobs like courier, food delivery worker, sanitation worker, or taxi driver."
Guan Xia frowned as she listened. While the description of the suspect seemed detailed, aside from the left-handed trait, the other characteristics still made the search feel like an overwhelming, almost impossible task when considering the entire city of Jianyang.
Her first instinct was still to rely on the surveillance footage, hoping to spot any suspicious individuals in the period before the victim's disappearance.
The group continued discussing at the crime scene for a while longer until everyone was drenched in sweat. Little Yan, who had been standing silently in the corner, suddenly spoke up, "Captain Yang, it's 41 degrees today. Shouldn’t we head back to the station to discuss the case?"
Only then did the others realize—yes, they had already examined the scene. Any further discussions could be held in the air-conditioned office, or even in the car if necessary.
Captain Yang let out an awkward laugh and smacked his forehead. "My bad. My mind’s been completely occupied by the case. I forgot how scorching it is today. Let’s head back to the station and continue there."
As he spoke, Captain Yang walked over to Little Yan and examined him closely, asking gently, "You must be overheated. Are you feeling alright? If you’re unwell, you have to tell me."
Little Yan’s face was flushed red from the heat, but he shook his head and hurriedly started down the stairs.
Captain Yang quickly called after him, "Slow down, watch your step! Be careful not to trip."
If his earlier tone had been gentle out of consideration for a junior colleague, his warning now—almost like a parent fussing over a child—felt oddly out of place.
Almost in unison, the group glanced at Little Yan descending the stairs, then back at Captain Yang, who remained on the second floor.
Their puzzled expressions must have been too obvious, because Captain Yang belatedly realized and coughed awkwardly. "Ah, right. I got so caught up I forgot to introduce him. That’s our newest recruit, joined our branch last year. His name’s Yan Ran, a top graduate from the Capital Police University. He only came back to Jianyang because his family’s here. His mind is something else—he can reconstruct crime scenes from the tiniest traces. Not just me, the entire station considers him a treasure. Since I brought him out today, if anything happens to him, even Director Tian would come after me."
Recalling Yan Ran’s earlier performance, the group nodded in understanding.
Xu Nian couldn’t help but glance at Guan Xia and remarked in agreement, "A mind that sharp really does deserve extra protection."
Though the comment was about Yan Ran, Guan Xia noticed as she descended the stairs that, aside from Captain Yang’s watchful gaze on Yan Ran, everyone else’s eyes were fixed on her—as if she’d suddenly regressed to a three-year-old who might stumble at any moment.
Once outside the half-finished, skeletal frame of the abandoned villa, Guan Xia followed the group at a leisurely pace, her eyes idly scanning the surroundings.
She wasn’t looking for anything in particular—her gaze merely drifted—but for some reason, when it landed on a tree atop the slope behind the villa, it abruptly froze.
The sensation struck her fast and unexpectedly, just like the inexplicable intuition she’d experienced before. Even though the tree was too far away to make out anything beyond its lush canopy, it held her attention with an inexplicable pull.
Guan Xia was used to these gut feelings. She instinctively furrowed her brows and scrutinized the tree, but no matter how hard she looked, she couldn’t spot anything unusual.
It was just an ordinary tree, no different from the others around it—perhaps a bit more luxuriant, with an especially dense crown.
But her intuition had never been wrong before. When she still couldn’t find anything amiss, she wondered if there might be a body buried beneath it—something that would explain why her instincts were screaming at her.
She was so absorbed in her thoughts that she didn’t even realize she’d stopped walking until Ji An’s voice, laced with seriousness, sounded beside her. "What are you all looking at?"
Unexpectedly, the moment Ji An spoke, the long-dormant system interface suddenly popped up.
[You’ve been questioned by the police. You suddenly remember—at 16:09 on July 15th, as you and your friends were leaving the crime scene, you sensed a pair of eyes fixed on you. You reacted swiftly, turning to look, and caught a fleeting figure disappearing behind a tree. Sensing something amiss, you decide to inform the police.]
The words appeared rapidly before vanishing, replaced by a short video clip.
The footage lasted only a few seconds, showing the very same tree.
A figure stood pressed against the trunk in the shade, only to dart behind the tree the instant Guan Xia’s gaze landed on it. Under normal circumstances, the movement was too quick for anyone to react—most would dismiss it as a trick of the eye.
But Guan Xia had an advantage. Even though the figure had been visible for barely a second, the system froze and magnified the image, revealing the man’s features with startling clarity despite the distance.
He was a middle-aged man, around forty, with thinning hair. Though his exact height was unclear without reference, his build was visibly strong, the muscles in his short-sleeved arms well-defined.
His face was narrow, with small, downturned eyes, sparse eyebrows, an almost nonexistent nose bridge, and large nostrils. His lips were thick, slightly parted, revealing a broken tooth—only half remained.
When Guan Xia saw the other facial features, she didn't feel much at first—she was just observing very carefully. But the moment she noticed the broken tooth, she suddenly snapped back to reality and couldn’t help but complain inwardly.
Sure, the system had upgraded, but wasn’t the clarity a bit too ridiculous? It completely disregarded the limits of human vision. Being able to see a suspect’s broken tooth from hundreds of meters away—that wasn’t human eyesight anymore, that was a telescope!
After silently complaining for a moment, Guan Xia suddenly heard someone calling her name. "Guan Xia? Guan Xia."
It was Ji An’s voice, calling her repeatedly.
Only then did Guan Xia look up and realize that not only Ji An but also Captain Yang and Yan Ran from the Tong’an branch had gathered around, staring at her with puzzled expressions.
Snapping back to attention and finding herself under so many pairs of eyes, Guan Xia instinctively tensed up and let out a nervous "Ah?"
Ji An, assuming she was asking what was going on, patiently explained, "We were walking ahead when we turned around and noticed you and Zhong Xiaoyu had fallen behind, both staring intently in the same direction. So we came back to ask what you were looking at."
Guan Xia was surprised. At that exact moment, Zhong Xiaoyu had been looking at the same spot as her. She had her cheat system—but what about Zhong Xiaoyu?
Unable to suppress her curiosity, Guan Xia turned to Zhong Xiaoyu, about to recount the information her system had just displayed. But before she could speak, Zhong Xiaoyu beat her to it, stating bluntly, "The moment we stepped out of that rundown villa, I felt someone watching us. I followed the gaze and vaguely saw a figure, but it disappeared in a flash. Based on my years of experience as an armed police officer, it definitely wasn’t an illusion."
As Zhong Xiaoyu spoke, her brows furrowed, and her eyes remained fixed in that direction.
If Guan Xia had been surprised before, now she was downright amazed. Zhong Xiaoyu truly lived up to her armed police background—even years after leaving the force, her vigilance was razor-sharp.
Guan Xia shot her an admiring glance before quickly adding, "I had the same feeling. I saw the figure too—right under that tree." She raised her right hand, pointing southeast. "A middle-aged man, around forty, very muscular with prominent bulging arms."
With two people independently confirming the sighting, even Captain Yang didn’t hesitate. The moment Guan Xia finished speaking, he bolted in the direction she’d pointed.
Apart from the slender Yan Ran and Guan Xia’s friend Pang Le lagging slightly behind, the rest of the group charged up the slope behind the villa almost simultaneously.
Fortunately, the villa was an abandoned construction site—only the framework of the buildings stood, with no walls or fences. Combined with the gentle slope of Xiaocui Peak, it allowed them to climb without any tools, relying solely on their limbs.
Perhaps startled by their sudden movement, the middle-aged man hiding behind the tree sprang out with startling agility, sprinting uphill without a moment’s hesitation, putting every ounce of strength into his escape.
Now everyone could see the fleeing figure, and with a clear target, they pushed themselves even harder.
Zhong Xiaoyu, true to her armed police roots, surged ahead effortlessly, her movements so light she might as well have been flying. In contrast, Guan Xia barely managed a few meters before her lungs burned as if about to explode.
Desperate not to fall too far behind, Guan Xia pushed on, but the gap in stamina was too vast. Soon, Zhong Xiaoyu vanished from sight, and even Xu Nian and Wang Yu ahead grew smaller in the distance.
At least Yan Ran was still beside her. The two were evenly matched, both gasping for air as they hauled themselves upward, grabbing onto anything they could for support.
Eventually, even Jiang Yingyao’s figure disappeared ahead. Guan Xia’s legs gave out, and she collapsed onto the ground, deciding to rest for a moment before continuing.
Yan Ran, however, was stubbornly persistent. Despite sweat pouring down her face and her legs trembling, she refused to stop.
Inspired, Guan Xia was about to rally herself when Yan Ran suddenly missed her footing, tumbling downhill. Guan Xia scrambled sideways, terrified she wouldn’t catch her in time.
Luckily, the slope was gentle. Before rolling too far, Yan Ran grabbed a nearby bush, stopping her fall. Still, the tumble had left its mark—small cuts on her face and hands, her complexion pale as she winced in pain.
Guan Xia’s heart pounded as she crawled over frantically. "Where are you hurt? Is it bad? Let me see!"
Forgetting they barely knew each other, Guan Xia steadied herself with one hand on a branch while using the other to inspect Yan Ran’s shoulders and limbs. Relieved to find only minor scratches and no serious wounds, she exhaled.
Yan Ran, clearly shy, flushed at the physical contact, lowering her head as she mumbled, "I’m fine… just twisted my ankle, I think."
"Your ankle?!" Guan Xia’s panic returned as she bent down to examine Yan Ran’s left foot, which she was now favoring.
Yan Ran wore low-top sneakers, her socks slightly slipped from climbing. Without even removing the shoe, Guan Xia could see the swelling around the ankle, though no obvious deformity—probably not a severe sprain.
After a quick assessment, Guan Xia relaxed slightly—only to immediately worry again. The others had raced too far ahead, leaving just the two of them. She could barely climb on her own, let alone carry someone.
So after two seconds of thought, Guan Xia decisively pulled out her phone to call Pang Le.
Before she could dial, rustling came from above, and distant branches shook. Yan Ran tensed, but Guan Xia felt relief—she didn’t need to guess. It had to be Pang Le coming back for them.
Sure enough, minutes later, Pang Le appeared in Guan Xia’s line of sight. To her surprise, Ji An was with him.
Descending was much faster than climbing. Pang Le, bold and experienced, practically monkeyed his way down, reaching Guan Xia in no time. After a quick once-over to confirm she was unharmed, he turned to Yan Ran on the ground, immediately spotting her swollen ankle. "What happened? Did you twist it?"
Yan Ran turned red again, ducking her head like a scolded student.
Guan Xia explained, "She slipped and fell, but thankfully grabbed a bush in time. Just the ankle’s hurt. What about up there? Did you catch him?"
Ji An also came down and said, "We don’t know yet. We climbed for a while but didn’t see you, so we came back down to look. The others are still going up. Judging by Zhong Xiaoyu’s speed, they might actually catch up."
Guan Xia couldn’t help but silently admire the fact that Ji An had once served as an armed police officer. She then asked, "So what do we do now? Keep climbing?"
She glanced up at the seemingly endless slope, then down at the clearly visible dilapidated villa below, hesitating before saying, "With my stamina and Yan Ran’s twisted ankle, even if the two of you carried us up, it wouldn’t be realistic. Maybe we should head back down? I just noticed there’s a bit of signal here—I could leave Xu Nian a message saying we’ll wait for them in the car."
Guan Xia paused uncertainly and added, "Ji An, you have the car keys, right?"
Ji An shook her head. "Zhong Xiaoyu has them."
Guan Xia wasn’t too disappointed. She just looked at the sky and said, "Then let’s find some shade and wait. It’s not like the four of us will get lost. Xu Nian will definitely come looking for us."
Pang Le was the first to agree. "Sounds good to me."
Ji An nodded. "Then let’s head down. Luckily, we’re not too high up yet, so it won’t be hard."
As Ji An moved to carry Yan Ran, Pang Le stepped in first, gripping Yan Ran’s arm and effortlessly hoisting her onto her back. Fortunately, Yan Ran was quite slim, and Pang Le didn’t seem strained at all.
Guan Xia and the others didn’t think much of it, but Yan Ran’s face flushed as red as if she’d smeared blush all over it. "I’m sorry for being such a burden," she murmured, clearly embarrassed.
Pang Le, now carrying someone, didn’t dare move as recklessly as before. She descended carefully, taking each step deliberately while chuckling, "What’s there to apologize for? Everyone has their strengths. You might not have the best stamina, but you’re sharp as a tack—just like Guan Xia here. She never gets embarrassed about stuff like this. Honestly, you’re too thin-skinned. In life, it’s the thick-skinned ones who have it easier. You should take a page from Guan Xia’s book—she’s got it down pat."
Guan Xia had been listening attentively at first, but by the end, she couldn’t help rolling her eyes. Though Pang Le meant well, something about the "compliment" didn’t sit right with her.
