Friday was clear and sunny, but Saturday turned out to be overcast, with gloomy clouds blanketing the sky. As Guan Xia descended the stairs with her backpack, she couldn’t help worrying whether it might rain.
Today, Pang Le wasn’t the one driving. Instead, Lawyer Shi stepped out from the driver’s seat. Freed from the constraints of his usual suit and dressed in outdoor gear, the usually stern man carried an unexpected youthful air.
Unlike Guan Xia’s concerns, Pang Le was in high spirits. "The weather’s perfect today—no sun means even if it rains, it won’t be heavy. No risk of sunburn, and it won’t affect our hike. Absolutely ideal."
Lawyer Shi took the heavy hiking bag from Guan Xia’s hands and casually placed it in the trunk, smiling as he added, "It really is. I checked the forecast—the light rain will stop by midnight, and tomorrow will be clear. Perfect for catching the sunrise."
Guan Xia hadn’t eaten much for breakfast, but hearing those words, she suddenly found the steamed buns she’d bought at the neighborhood entrance that morning oddly greasy.
Once in the car, Guan Xia noticed another person in the back seat. He appeared around Lawyer Shi’s age but looked far worse—dark circles under his eyes, exhaustion etched across his face, as if he’d pulled multiple all-nighters.
After just a glance, Guan Xia grew concerned. What if he collapsed halfway up the mountain?
Though her gaze lingered only briefly, the young man noticed immediately. He lifted his head, revealing a delicate but overly thin face, and flashed a bright smile. "You must be Guan Xia? I’m Dong Yuncheng, a friend of Shi Guangbo."
Guan Xia shook his hand. "Nice to meet you."
Dong Yuncheng seemed far more approachable than Lawyer Shi. With an understanding tone, he explained, "Don’t worry. I might not look sturdy, but I actually exercise more than Lawyer Shi. This sleep-deprived look is just from too many late nights—even nine hours of sleep last night didn’t help me recover."
Guan Xia nearly blurted out why he’d even attempt a hike in this state, but she kept the thought to herself, offering only an awkward smile.
"Did you eat breakfast?" Pang Le, now buckled in, turned to ask Guan Xia. "Lawyer Shi brought some homemade cookies. Want to try them?"
Guan Xia shook her head immediately. "I ate, and I’m full."
Pang Le didn’t press further, simply sharing the cookies with Dong Yuncheng instead.
Dong Yuncheng seemed genuinely famished, devouring five or six cookies, two bags of bread, three tea eggs, and a carton of milk before finally stopping his raid on the snacks.
But the break lasted only minutes before he pulled out a laptop, balancing it on his knees with an almost ferocious intensity as he dove back into work.
Initially dreading small talk, Guan Xia was now both astonished and relieved by Dong Yuncheng’s single-minded focus. Happily, she pulled out her phone and settled into a drama.
The idea had struck her last night.
The system had triggered three clues about the culprit—a bloodstained sleeve, a voice, and even a face. All were ordinary yet oddly specific details. Any person with sharp memory might’ve noticed them, which didn’t quite align with the system’s lofty reputation.
Guan Xia couldn’t help wondering: if she, as the host, absorbed some professional investigative skills, would the system’s trigger rate improve?
Like seasoned detectives who could spot suspicious individuals in a crowd just from subtle tells.
The idea sounded far-fetched, but the more she thought about it, the more plausible it seemed. So after jolting awake at midnight, she’d downloaded a slew of highly rated crime dramas and even searched for textbooks on investigative techniques from police academies. Whether it’d work or not, she figured it was worth a try.
Thus, the car ride passed pleasantly—Lawyer Shi and Pang Le chatted animatedly, Dong Yuncheng worked with grim satisfaction, and Guan Xia binge-watched her drama with equal fervor. Only when the car pulled into the parking lot and Pang Le called her name did Guan Xia realize her neck had stiffened from staring at her screen.
"What were you watching so intently? I called you multiple times," Pang Le said, finally opening her door when she didn’t respond.
Guan Xia showed her the still-unpaused screen. "Crime drama."
Pang Le’s expression turned complicated. "Since when are you into crime dramas? Did that last incident mess with your head?"
"Maybe," Guan Xia locked her phone and tucked it into her jacket pocket, stretching her stiff neck as she stepped out. "I don’t have inspiration for a new comic anyway, so I figured I’d kill time with this."
"More like you’ve gotten addicted to playing the vigilante," Pang Le eyed her skeptically. "Ten days, three criminals handed to the police—though I’ll admit, it was satisfying. Would’ve been even better if I’d gotten to tackle a couple myself."
Now it was Guan Xia’s turn to eye Pang Le warily. "Don’t go looking for trouble. You might be tough, but even the best fighter can’t beat a knife. I’d rather hang out with you than visit you in the hospital."
Pang Le snorted and gave Guan Xia’s shoulder a firm slap. "That’s exactly what I wanted to say to you. You might have a knack for this, but remember your limits. These killers aren’t just your average unstable folks—their logic is twisted. Like that last guy who decided you’d ‘deceived’ him just because you walked past him with a hiking pole? I don’t want to hear about you getting stabbed for ‘looking at someone wrong.’"
A chill ran down Guan Xia’s spine as she recalled similar news stories. "That’s… unlikely, right?"
"Better safe than sorry, genius," Pang Le squeezed her shoulder harder. "Though if I’m around, it’s a different story. You can stare all you want—just whisper to me afterward. You’re fragile, but I’m not."
Guan Xia’s concern instantly morphed into exasperation. Too tired to argue, she rolled her eyes instead.
Pang Le chuckled.
Lawyer Shi and Dong Yuncheng unloaded the gear from the trunk, handing Guan Xia her backpack. Noticing their exchange, Lawyer Shi asked Pang Le, "What’s got you two so amused?"
Pang Le and Guan Xia exchanged a glance before Pang Le smirked at him. "Something thrilling. I’m tempted, but she won’t let me."
Lawyer Shi didn’t press for details, simply replying, "Then I’ll join you?"
Pang Le looked pleasantly surprised, her grin widening. "Sure, if the chance arises."
As their conversation grew livelier, Guan Xia sidestepped them, reorganizing her pockets while surveying the surroundings.
This was an undeveloped wild mountain—one of the lesser-known, low-altitude peaks in the Cuiping range, unnamed but lush with vegetation, a verdant expanse stretching as far as the eye could see.
Since the area was undeveloped, there was no proper parking lot. The spot where they parked was a large, relatively flat open space. Though not many cars were parked there, it wasn’t completely empty either. A few vehicles even had thick layers of dust settled on them, as if they had been left untouched for ages.
Guan Xia, though a homebody at heart, had always been fond of mountains, rivers, flowers, and trees. Now, as she took in the breathtaking scenery, she felt both exhilarated and a little apprehensive.
The mountain didn’t look particularly high, but the path to the summit was quite steep. Guan Xia couldn’t help but wonder if she’d even make it to the top.
Just as she was starting to doubt herself, a brilliant ray of sunlight suddenly broke through and warmed her face. She looked up and realized the overcast sky had cleared, revealing a golden sun.
“It actually cleared up!” Pang Le exclaimed in delight. Then, as if remembering something, she rummaged through her backpack and pulled out sunscreen. After applying it to herself, she carefully dabbed some on Guan Xia’s face too. “Did you bring sunscreen?”
“Yeah, I did,” Guan Xia replied. Once Pang Le finished, she took out her own sunscreen and tucked it into her pocket.
“Oh, and sunglasses,” Pang Le added, digging through her bag again.
Guan Xia squinted at the sun and decided it was indeed necessary. She found her sunglasses and put them on. Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed a heavily bundled-up figure emerging from the mountain trail, heading toward the parking area.
Guan Xia was surprised. “Someone else came camping here alone? That’s brave.”
“Probably a fisherman,” Dong Yuncheng said, appearing beside Guan Xia and following her gaze. “Lawyer Shi and I have been to this wild mountain before. There’s a small river in the valley—rumor has it there are fish, but we’ve never tried fishing there, so who knows?”
Guan Xia studied the stranger’s outfit—a wide-brimmed fishing hat, sunglasses, a windbreaker zipped all the way up to the chin, and a heavy-looking bucket in hand. Whether it held any fish was anyone’s guess.
Watching the figure, Guan Xia suddenly recalled something she’d heard before—about how, aside from the police, fishermen and hikers were the natural enemies of murderers. These types of people tended to venture deep into the most remote wilderness, and many had stumbled upon corpses. Some seasoned fishermen even kept fishing while waiting for the police to arrive. She wondered if this person had ever had such an encounter.
The thought flickered through her mind for only a moment before she looked away. Just then, two more cars pulled up, and a group of people noisily piled out. Lawyer Shi did a final check of their gear and announced, “Alright, everyone’s here. Let’s get going.”
