After finding a shady spot near the parking area to set Yan Ran down, Ji An skillfully crouched and gently pressed around the twisted injury. After a moment, he said, "No bone damage—just a strained tendon. Rest for a couple of days and be careful; it’ll heal fine."
Yan Ran murmured her thanks, while Guan Xia let out a relieved sigh and unceremoniously plopped down onto a nearby rock.
After all the running and climbing, Guan Xia was so overheated she felt on the verge of heatstroke. She fanned herself uselessly with her hand, squinting toward the mountaintop in the distance. But it was too far—even narrowing her eyes, she could only make out tiny, moving dots that might have been people, impossible to discern what they were doing.
"Doesn’t look like they caught anyone," Pang Le declared boldly, climbing a nearby tree as if to ensure they heard her. "Seems like they’re pacing around searching for something. My guess? The suspect got away."
Guan Xia recalled the scene earlier. Though Xiaocui Peak stood directly behind the abandoned villa complex, it wasn’t the main hiking trail. The figure they’d assumed was the suspect had bolted the moment they started running.
Even with Zhong Xiaoyu’s exceptional speed and stamina, the suspect had been halfway up the mountain. No matter how hard she pushed, catching them on the spot was unlikely.
What’s more, the suspect clearly knew the terrain well. If they reached the summit first, they could vanish within minutes, leveraging their familiarity with the landscape. Guan Xia could only hope this chase wouldn’t be entirely fruitless—that at least some clue would turn up.
Holding onto that earnest wish, the four of them waited idly. At first, Pang Le chatted to pass the time, but as the hours dragged on and their single water bottle ran dry, even the most talkative among them fell silent, parched and weary.
By evening, when the sky blazed with vivid sunset hues, the others finally descended and regrouped with Guan Xia’s party.
Zhong Xiaoyu was the first down. Though not the first to give chase, her physical prowess had left the others behind. The moment she appeared in the parking lot, Guan Xia sprang up from the rock and demanded, "Well? Did you catch them?"
Zhong Xiaoyu shook her head in frustration. "That old guy was shockingly fast. Just when I thought I was closing in, he vanished—no idea how he got down so quick. I scoured the area and found signs he might’ve just rolled down the slope. Talk about reckless."
Thanks to Pang Le’s earlier remark, Guan Xia wasn’t too disappointed. She pressed further, "Earlier, we saw you all lingering at the summit, like you were searching for something. Was it a clue? Did you find anything?"
Xu Nian, the second to arrive, overheard and raised his voice to answer. "We did. The suspect must’ve fled in a hurry—left behind a cigarette butt. Wang Yu spotted it. It’s bagged as evidence now. Captain Yang already called the team to pull surveillance footage from Xiaocui Peak’s entry and exit points. Hopefully, that’ll give us something."
Guan Xia blinked in surprise. "Xiaocui Peak’s a wilderness area, not a tourist spot. It has surveillance cameras?"
Yan Ran explained, "After the murder case, the task force suspected the killer might return to the scene. They installed cameras at the abandoned villas and Xiaocui Peak’s access points. They even had officers staking it out the first few days, but nothing turned up, so they withdrew. Of course, the day they leave, this happens. Seems the suspect doesn’t just know the terrain—they might also be familiar with police procedures."
Guan Xia’s expression turned odd as she recalled Yan Ran’s earlier words about the killer growing more cautious. Apparently, though the murderer hadn’t struck in five years, they hadn’t been idle—studying every detail to refine their methods.
Shaking off the unsettling thought, Guan Xia hesitated before asking, "If the suspect knows police tactics, couldn’t they avoid the cameras by taking hidden paths or even scaling adjacent peaks to escape?"
Yan Ran considered it. "Possible. But the Great Eastern Mountain range is vast and narrow. Even if we suspected the killer was fleeing through the mountains, mobilizing a large-scale search on short notice would be tough. By the time we organized, they’d be long gone. A manhunt isn’t practical. Besides, we can’t even confirm that was the suspect yet. We’ll need to wait for the cigarette butt’s DNA results first."
Though Yan Ran appeared introverted, she became calm and methodical whenever the topic shifted to her professional expertise. Guan Xia listened, nodding in agreement.
After another ten minutes or so, the rest of the team finally arrived. Captain Yang was the last to show up, finishing a phone call before waving everyone toward the vehicles. "Let's go, let's head back to the station."
Guan Xia rode in the same car as Pang Le, Ji An, and Zhong Xiaoyu. The moment they got in, Pang Le eagerly rummaged through her bag, pulling out several packs of snacks—spiced tofu and sausages—and handing them out. "I'm starving. Good thing I had the foresight to bring some food."
They had been working nonstop since early morning, and by evening, Guan Xia’s stomach was growling. That was why she had been so impressed with Zhong Xiaoyu earlier during the hike. Despite having eaten breakfast at the same time, Zhong Xiaoyu seemed to have boundless energy, still lively even now.
Guan Xia took a pack of tofu, tore it open, and ate without looking up. After easing her hunger slightly, she began digging through her own bag.
At first, Pang Le thought she was also searching for snacks and watched expectantly—until Guan Xia pulled out a sketchbook. "Wow," Pang Le exclaimed, surprised. "So you didn’t just see a figure earlier—you actually caught the suspect’s facial features too?"
Guan Xia gave a vague hum in response, flipping to a blank page before starting to sketch with focused precision.
Zhong Xiaoyu, who had been about to start the car, paused and twisted around in her seat, craning her neck to watch Guan Xia draw.
With the help of the system’s paused video footage, Guan Xia sketched without hesitation, her strokes swift and confident. In just seven or eight minutes, the drawing was complete.
Guan Xia exhaled softly as she examined the sketch—simple yet strikingly accurate. The more she practiced, the faster she got.
The other three also stared at the drawing. Zhong Xiaoyu asked curiously, "Is this the person we saw on the hillside?"
Guan Xia nodded. "Yes, that’s him."
Zhong Xiaoyu leaned closer, studying Guan Xia with fascination. "No wonder Sister Ji calls you a treasure. You really are something else. How is your brain wired so differently from the rest of us? Let me touch it." She tentatively reached out, and when Guan Xia didn’t resist, she gave a light pat.
Meanwhile, Pang Le smoothly pulled out her phone, snapped a photo of the sketch, and sent it to the group chat. "Guan Xia, be honest—did you secretly upgrade your eyes? I already thought your memory was insane, but now your vision’s getting ridiculous too. Seeing a figure from that distance is one thing, but memorizing the suspect’s face in such a short time? Even crime dramas wouldn’t dare go that far."
Guan Xia only smiled without responding. She hadn’t upgraded her eyes—but the system had given her an upgrade. Even she had privately thought it was absurd.
Traffic from Jianyang City’s outskirts back to Tong’an District was heavy, and by the time they arrived, night had fully fallen.
The moment they stepped out of the car, Captain Yang was already rallying the group. "You must all be starving! Come on, let’s head to the cafeteria. Director Tian personally covered the cost to add a few extra dishes as thanks for you all traveling all the way from Yongquan City to help with the case. And don’t underestimate cafeteria food—our chef is top-notch. He retired but couldn’t stand staying idle, so he came back to work here. He’s a former detective too—great at cooking, even better at solving cases."
Captain Yang was an enthusiastic man with a tendency to ramble. As he led them toward the cafeteria, he kept up a steady stream of praise for the chef—now a cook, but once a seasoned investigator.
Tong’an District’s police station, befitting its status as the provincial capital’s branch, was larger and busier. Even past dinnertime, the cafeteria still had clusters of officers eating while discussing cases.
When unfamiliar faces entered, the officers slowed their eating, casting scrutinizing glances their way—until they spotted Captain Yang accompanying the group. Then, they returned to their meals and conversations as if nothing had happened.
"Take a seat, take a seat!" Captain Yang deftly pushed two tables together, then called toward the kitchen, "Brother Liu, our guests are here—you can start serving!"
Though he wasn’t visible, a booming voice replied, "Got it!"
Captain Yang sat beside Yan Ran, swiftly snatching the water pitcher before Xu Nian or Jiang Yingyao could reach it. "Sit down, sit down. You’re our guests—we can’t have you doing the work. We agreed: while you’re in Jianyang City, aside from the case, you’re not allowed to lift a finger for anything else."
Guan Xia had initially felt somewhat flattered and uneasy, but upon hearing the last sentence, she understood—this was about using social niceties to motivate them to give their all in solving the case.
Once she grasped this, Guan Xia settled in comfortably. When Captain Yang pushed a cup of water toward her, she naturally said, "Thank you."
After some more small talk, the dishes prepared by the much-mentioned "Brother Liu" finally arrived. Whether they tasted good or not remained to be seen, but at least they looked and smelled appetizing. Guan Xia, already hungry, found her stomach growling even louder at the sight.
When it came to eating, everyone was straightforward. As soon as the dishes were served, Captain Yang raised a brief toast, and then the group dug in with gusto. Perhaps the competition made the food taste better—Guan Xia unknowingly ate one and a half times her usual portion.
No sooner had they finished than Captain Yang cut to the chase, leading them to an office on the second floor.
When they arrived, a meeting was already in progress inside. The attendees stood up to greet Captain Yang as he entered. "Captain Yang," they said.
Captain Yang had barely nodded when Guan Xia noticed a tall middle-aged policewoman with a high ponytail—even half a head taller than Ji An—frowning at Yan Ran. "Yan Ran? What happened to your face and arm? You were fine when you left this morning. How did you end up injured by evening? Did you run into a suspect?"
Captain Yang, who had been wearing a stern expression, suddenly looked guilty. "It was an accident. We did encounter a middle-aged man behaving suspiciously, possibly a suspect. During the chase, Yan Ran took a fall. Luckily, it’s not serious—just a sprain and some scrapes."
The middle-aged policewoman said nothing more, though her frown deepened.
The two others in the room quickly stood up, fetching a chair and rummaging through cabinets until they had Yan Ran seated and treated with medicinal oil.
Once Yan Ran was taken care of, the middle-aged policewoman turned to Guan Xia and the others, extending her hand. "You must be the colleagues sent from Yongquan City as reinforcements? Welcome."
After shaking hands with Xu Nian and the others, she paused slightly at the sight of Pang Le and Zhong Xiaoyu before smiling and adding, "Welcome to you as well."
Guan Xia immediately understood—she had recognized that these two weren’t police officers. As for why she hadn’t shown any surprise at Guan Xia, she guessed Director Ren must have mentioned her specifically when coordinating with Tong’an Precinct.
Another round of pleasantries later, everyone finally settled around the conference table. The middle-aged policewoman stood at the head, using photos pinned to a whiteboard and a list of clues to detail the case.
"Since we have new colleagues joining us, I’ll briefly recap the case so far," she began. "From September 13, 2009, to July 12, 2024—just two days ago—we’ve discovered eight bodies with strikingly similar causes of death. There’s one peculiar detail: though there are eight victims, forensic analysis of the wounds suggests they were killed by two different perpetrators. The first killer had clear motives, while the second was copying the crimes. Though the methods were nearly identical, the second killer was amateurish. The wounds on his four victims were crude, even showing signs of repeated cuts. However, given how cleanly he slit their throats—a single stroke severing the trachea—we strongly suspect he has practiced throat-cutting but lacked opportunities to practice disemboweling. We believe he likely lives in a densely populated, complex environment, such as an urban village or an older residential area. Another key point: the second killer is likely a sociopath. After hiding for five years, he’s grown increasingly volatile, and there’s a high chance he’ll strike again soon."
Guan Xia listened intently but was puzzled. She didn’t understand how the middle-aged policewoman had deduced the second killer’s possible living environment from the forensic findings.
She wanted to ask, but the setting didn’t seem appropriate. Instead, she made a mental note to privately ask Ji An or Xu Nian after the meeting.
