After the sun fully rose above the horizon, the entire campsite buzzed with activity as everyone packed up their belongings—noisy yet oddly quiet in their haste.
It was as if they were being chased down the mountain, moving far quicker than when they had set up camp the day before.
Guan Xia and Pang Le worked swiftly, dividing tasks to pack everything into bags and stuff them into their backpacks.
Once they confirmed all items inside the tent were collected, Dong Yuncheng and Lawyer Shi began dismantling the tent.
Guan Xia hovered nearby, carefully gathering stray nails and other small items into a bag, ensuring nothing was left behind for future use.
With the tent packed away, Lawyer Shi stepped aside to make a phone call, while Pang Le, who had disappeared for a while, reappeared holding two cups of instant noodles. She jogged over and handed them to the others. "I traded tea eggs for hot water—just poured it in. Eat up," she said before darting off again.
Guan Xia and Dong Yuncheng exchanged a glance, then wordlessly found a secluded, wind-sheltered spot to eat.
Their noodles were the same flavor. Halfway through their meal, Lawyer Shi returned from his call, his expression even grimmer than the night before.
Before he could speak, Guan Xia already guessed the news.
Sure enough, Lawyer Shi said, "The search team worked all night. They still haven’t found him."
Guan Xia instinctively looked toward the distant Oxhorn Peak, her heart sinking like a stone.
If there had been a sliver of hope last night, it was now clear what the outcome would be.
With half the night spent in rain and the depths of the mountains, even an adult could easily succumb to hypothermia—let alone such a small, fragile child.
"Go ahead," Dong Yuncheng said. "Don’t worry about us. Just focus on staying safe yourself."
Lawyer Shi nodded, scanning the area before turning back to Guan Xia. "Where’s Pang Le?"
Before Guan Xia could answer, Pang Le came jogging back with two more cups of noodles.
"Eat quickly," Pang Le said, shoving one into Lawyer Shi’s hands. "I checked around—most people are almost done packing. We’ll probably head out soon, so hurry."
Lawyer Shi seemed about to say something, but Pang Le had already crouched unceremoniously beside Guan Xia, slurping her noodles with urgency. He swallowed his words and, after a pause, joined them, squatting next to Pang Le to eat.
It was the most rushed meal Guan Xia had ever eaten. To keep her strength up for the descent, she forced herself to finish every drop of broth and even ate two extra chocolate bars.
Dong Yuncheng finished faster and returned with a trash bag, casually tossing in Guan Xia’s empty noodle cup before handing her a few candies.
"Try these," he said with a smile. "I found this shop online—they’re not too sweet, with a strong fruit flavor."
Guan Xia unwrapped one and popped it into her mouth. True to his word, it was far less cloying than the candies Pang Le had given her earlier.
Glancing discreetly at Pang Le, Guan Xia murmured, "It’s good."
Dong Yuncheng’s smile widened as he pulled out another handful and dropped them into Guan Xia’s palm.
She pocketed them quickly.
By the time they finished eating, the campsite was indeed nearly empty, just as Pang Le had predicted.
Shouldering her backpack, Guan Xia surveyed the group. Only a handful were heading straight down the mountain—three or four at most—while the rest were joining the search party, including Song Yi, whose high ponytail bounced with her usual boundless energy.
Watching their tense yet eager expressions, Guan Xia felt a pang of guilt. She turned to Pang Le. "Are you sure you don’t want to go? I’ll be fine—look, there are others heading down. I promise I’ll get home safely."
She nearly raised her hand to swear it.
Pang Le shot her a glare. "I don’t want to lose my temper this early. Think before you speak next time."
Guan Xia immediately shrank back, falling silent. She could tell Pang Le was genuinely upset.
The group walked together for a few hundred meters, climbing back to the mountaintop before splitting ways.
Lawyer Shi gave Dong Yuncheng’s shoulder a firm squeeze, murmuring a few words, then turned to Pang Le. "Call me when you’re back," he said before joining the search party and striding off without a backward glance.
Guan Xia and the others watched until the group disappeared from view.
"Let’s go," Pang Le said, adjusting Guan Xia’s backpack straps before leading the way downhill.
Dong Yuncheng took up the rear, just as he had on the way up.
They say climbing a mountain is easier than descending—and Guan Xia now understood why.
Though the overnight rain had been light, it had soaked the soil thoroughly, forcing them to tread carefully to keep their balance.
Guan Xia placed each step as firmly as she could, yet she still slipped multiple times, sliding down several steep slopes uncontrollably. By the time they reached the bottom, even Pang Le looked thoroughly disheveled.
Their first act on flat ground was to wipe their faces and hands with wet wipes Guan Xia pulled out.
Finally free of the sticky grime, she exhaled in relief. "Are we driving straight back? Or waiting for Lawyer Shi? Will the rescue team bring them back when it’s over?"
She had no experience with these procedures.
"No need to wait," Dong Yuncheng said, fishing his car keys from an inner pocket of his jacket. "They’ll ride back with the rescue team. Did you bring spare clothes? Change in the car, and we’ll head straight home."
Guan Xia opened her mouth to say no, but Pang Le cut in. "I did."
She looked at Guan Xia. "I packed for you too."
"Then let’s go," Dong Yuncheng said, heading toward the parking lot, his tone lighter. "Finally off that mountain. I can’t stand these damp clothes another minute."
They took turns changing in the car, stuffing their wet clothes haphazardly into a spare bag. Dong Yuncheng started the engine eagerly. "Let’s move."
The drive back was silent, none of them in the mood to talk. It wasn’t until Dong Yuncheng pulled up outside Guan Xia’s apartment that Pang Le finally spoke.
"Don’t overthink it. Go take a hot shower, maybe drink some banlangen to ward off a cold. Call me if you need anything."
Guan Xia nodded obediently, then hesitated. "That child… if there’s any news, let me know. And also—"
Pang Le cut her off, pinching her cheek lightly.
"Don’t worry. I’ll find out what happened. I’m just as curious about who the killer is—and why they’d target a child like that."
She turned Guan Xia around by the shoulders and gave her a gentle push. "Go on. You barely slept last night, and we started downhill at dawn. Get some rest."
Guan Xia bid Pang Le goodbye, then waved at Dong Yuncheng before stepping into the building.
She had expected news to come much later, but before her takeout even arrived—just after her hot shower—Pang Le’s call came through.
Guan Xia answered the call and heard Pang Le say, "I asked my ex-boyfriend about it. The killer is the biological father of that little boy."
Guan Xia wasn’t surprised, but she couldn’t understand. "Why would he kill his own child? Even a vicious tiger wouldn’t harm its cub. And he tried to disguise it as an accidental death—was he trying to commit insurance fraud?" That was her first thought.
Pang Le let out a cold laugh. "Because of love. Well, not really—just his own delusion."
Guan Xia understood but found it even harder to believe. "His own delusion?"
Pang Le couldn’t help another scornful laugh. "Absurd, right? I think so too. Last night, that man and Lawyer Shi both called the police. The guy thought he’d covered his tracks perfectly, never expecting the whole thing to be caught on video. When he was first handcuffed, he kept cursing at the cops. But the moment he found out there was footage, he completely deflated and confessed almost immediately. He and his ex-wife had been divorced for years, and he’d been trying to remarry. He’d gone on a bunch of blind dates—some women were willing—but he either complained they were too old or not pretty enough, or that they were divorced with kids. So he never remarried. Then, a few months ago, a young woman fresh out of college joined his workplace. He fell for her at first sight but convinced himself that having a child would be the biggest obstacle between them. On top of that, the boy was a bit unruly and didn’t do well in school. He always thought the kid took after his ex-wife—stupid, with no future. So why not start fresh with this young woman? He’d already done his research—she graduated from a top university, came from a poor family, but was sharp. He was a college graduate too, so any child they had would be smart, whether they took after him or her."
Guan Xia was so furious she almost laughed. "So he killed his own son? Just because he had a one-sided crush on some accomplished girl, he came up with all these excuses to murder his child?"
Pang Le didn’t respond, but the sharp breaths through the phone made it clear her anger was even greater than Guan Xia’s.
After a long silence, Pang Le spoke again. "Song Yi’s video didn’t just help catch a killer—it also saved that girl."
Guan Xia was stunned. "That bastard had more plans?"
Pang Le continued, "When the police searched his place, they found hidden photos under his bed—all of that girl. He’d stalked her multiple times. He even took advantage of a company birthday celebration to sneak a hidden camera into a gift someone else gave her."
Guan Xia was so shocked her mind went blank. She couldn’t even find words.
Pang Le cursed angrily before speaking in a heavy tone. "Guan Xia, I don’t know if it’s just me, but it feels like cases are happening around us way more often. My whole life, there’ve always been incidents, but never this frequently. This is the second one in half a month, not counting that fugitive. Doesn’t it feel… off to you?"
She paused, then added, "And I’ve got this weird feeling—like… this might keep happening. Do you think we picked up some bad luck while traveling? Otherwise, why would we be so unlucky? Maybe we should visit a temple and pray or something."
Guan Xia didn’t know how to respond.
Truthfully, it was because of her—not bad luck, just the system activating. But Pang Le’s intuition wasn’t wrong. This would keep happening, and it might even get worse.
