Guan Xia had originally assumed that the mountain chosen by Wu Yang and his accomplices as a transit point for their escape should be located in a remote area, covering a vast expanse with a lengthy, sprawling range stretching who knows how many kilometers.
To her surprise, after they went downstairs and followed Captain Zhang's convoy, they reached their destination in less than an hour.
Guan Xia was quite astonished. Despite the high speed, in such a short time, they hadn't even reached the outskirts of the city. Standing at the foot of the mountain, they could still see the bustling traffic and countless twinkling lights not far away.
Even the usually steady Ji An was somewhat bewildered. After getting out of the car, she quickly scanned the surroundings and soon walked over to Guan Xia, frowning as she asked, "Wu Yang went through all that trouble and ended up here? Are we sure the intel is accurate?"
Ji An's voice was very low, heard only by Guan Xia and their small group. But perhaps their expressions of confusion and disbelief were obvious, because Captain Zhang quickly noticed and hurried over to explain, "Actually, we thought it was a mistake at first too. But Director Gao and I reviewed the surveillance footage repeatedly. Unless they switched vehicles midway, the final stopping point is indeed here."
Looking at the mountain, which seemed so short and small compared to others she had seen, Guan Xia asked with genuine puzzlement, "Is there some hidden secret within this mountain? Otherwise, even if they crossed over it, they'd still be within Jianyang City's limits. Wouldn't their grand, elaborate operation be completely redundant then?"
"That's our speculation as well," Captain Zhang said. "That's why we're here on-site to investigate. Besides our first team, Director Gao is back at headquarters organizing more personnel. No matter what, we must figure out why the suspects chose this place today, even if we have to turn this mountain inside out."
Guan Xia kept her expression neutral, but inwardly sighed. Indeed, this real Wu Yang was much more difficult to deal with than Wu Xingxian, laying down smokescreens within smokescreens. Who knew what secret was hidden inside this layer once it was peeled back.
After saying this, Captain Zhang swiftly moved away to divide the personnel he had brought into groups, beginning a comprehensive search of this small, not-at-all-imposing mountain named Longbei Mountain.
Guan Xia and her team also split into groups, as usual, pairing up in twos. Pang Le naturally stayed with Guan Xia.
Walking briskly along a man-made stone path leading up the mountain, Pang Le looked around while occasionally kicking at grass or tugging on tree branches, saying, "While Captain Zhang was grouping his people earlier, I used my phone to search. Turns out this mountain was actually purchased—no, leased—by that woman named Lin Jinnan."
Guan Xia kept walking, glancing at Pang Le as she asked, "Leased? So, in terms of development rights, this mountain is essentially Lin Jinnan's private property."
Pang Le nodded. "Right. And Lin Jinnan did indeed develop it as private property. From what I found online, even though this mountain isn't tall and doesn't cover a large area, it's actually fully equipped with facilities. There's not just a resort villa, but also a private cinema, badminton courts, tennis courts... in short, it's very rich in recreational facilities. But Lin Jinnan didn't open it to the public; she only made it available as a team-building site for Wu Yang's corporate group."
Pang Le paused mid-sentence, stopping to point in a direction. "Look, a Ferris wheel. And a roller coaster."
Guan Xia followed Pang Le's pointing finger and indeed saw a large Ferris wheel standing not far from them. A bit further to the left, there was also the roller coaster Pang Le mentioned, partially hidden among the trees, its tracks not appearing particularly thrilling.
Guan Xia looked thoughtfully and said, "Whether building the resort villa or the other recreational facilities, getting everything done at once must have taken quite some time. Did the online information mention if this team-building site was completed in one go or built in phases?"
Pang Le shook her head. "I didn't find that detail online. But regardless of whether it was done all at once or in phases, during any construction period, given Wu Yang's financial resources and capabilities, it would have been too easy for them to take advantage and tamper with things secretly."
Guan Xia thought the same. Seeing that Ferris wheel, her mind instantly connected to the scenes she witnessed and experienced during Ning Ping'an's rescue—that very well-hidden underground space. If a small-time boss with relatively modest assets could manage it, it would be even simpler for Wu Yang.
Thinking this, Guan Xia quickly shifted her gaze to the ground beneath her feet. Without hesitation, she decisively activated the system's shared vision.
Just as Guan Xia and Pang Le suspected, within the system's unique field of view, Guan Xia naturally couldn't see man-made structures, but she could see clusters of soul-light, each entwined with a bloody hue, representing people. They were located roughly a dozen meters beneath Guan Xia and Pang Le's feet. There were quite a few of them; a rough count showed thirty or forty.
In that instant, Guan Xia understood many more things. No wonder, in their impressions, members of that organization seemed to appear and vanish without a trace, acting so brazenly as to dare attack police convoys, yet leaving no trace behind.
So that was it. Indeed, Guan Xia's imagination hadn't been bold enough. She had never considered that in Dingyuan Province, in Jianyang City, in a location not far from the city center of a provincial capital, there could be hidden a criminal den, or rather, a criminal base.
No wonder, when investigating several cases linked to that criminal organization, they always felt the perpetrators seemed like they had undergone training. With a base like this, they really could have held classes, couldn't they?
Even though Guan Xia had already imagined the criminal organization's capabilities to be as omnipotent as possible, looking at everything before her, she still felt her experience was lacking. Truly worthy of being a fusion world of detective novels; it really was broadening her horizons.
Guan Xia observed with intense concentration. Only when the system's shared vision time ended and her sight returned to normal did she try hard to adjust her shocked expression and look up.
Pang Le had been watching her the whole time and immediately asked anxiously, "Well? You were looking for quite a while. Did you sense something off? Is this mountain like the villa where Ping'an was held, also hiding a secret space?"
Guan Xia took a deep breath and nodded. "I did sense something unusual. I kept feeling something beneath the ground was drawing my attention."
Guan Xia phrased it very cautiously, but Pang Le still excitedly clapped her hands. "I knew it! Then what are we waiting for? Let's call Captain Zhang right now, rally the troops. Whatever is hidden in this mountain, we're going to dig it out today, even if we have to dig three feet into the ground."
After a few phone calls, Captain Zhang arrived. Xu Nian and the others, who had been scattered searching for clues, also returned. Everyone regrouped, their faces all wearing expressions of disbelief.
"Right here in Jianyang City, right under our noses, there's likely a criminal hideout?" After listening to Guan Xia lay out all her deductions, Captain Zhang's face turned ashen, his words almost gritted through his teeth. "If that's really the case, then our participation alone in the operation can't guarantee complete success anymore. Wait here a moment, I need to make another call."
Captain Zhang walked aside to call for reinforcements again. Zhong Xiaoyu spoke up, "See, my prediction was right? It's only just past noon, and the armed police are about to be deployed. I reckon there'll be special police too."
At that moment, no one was in the mood to discuss this. They all wore thoughtful expressions, looking down at the ground beneath their feet, lost in their own thoughts.
After a dozen seconds, Qi Bai was the first to speak, scratching his head. "Do you think Wu Yang and that woman named Lin Jinnan might be right under our feet? It's like they escaped, but also didn't."
Guan Xia only thought for a second before shaking her head. "Not likely. If Lin Jinnan was frequently switching cars around 4 a.m. to create a diversion, that would be one thing. But since she didn't switch cars, it means she was racing against time. What could she be racing to do at such a critical moment?"
Qi Bai nodded. "True. Still, as the ringleader, it's possible Wu Yang escaped with a few key aides. But he probably wouldn't take all the core members. Do you think the remaining people are all hiding in this base right now? On one hand, to avoid being found by the police, and on the other, to wait for an opportunity to continue operations, covering for Wu Yang's escape."
This time, Guan Xia didn't object. Instead, she nodded in strong agreement. "I suspect the same. Probably Captain Zhang does too. That's why, as Zhong Xiaoyu said, he's calling for support to bring in the armed police."
In the following hours, Captain Zhang became increasingly busy. As time passed, batch after batch of personnel arrived on the mountain. By 4 p.m., there were so many reinforcements that Guan Xia could easily spot seven or eight figures just by looking up.
This density of personnel not only provided a strong sense of security but also filled everyone with confidence about uncovering the mountain's hidden secrets.
Sure enough, after another hour or so, as the sun dipped westward, nearing sunset, the advantage of sheer numbers finally paid off. While Guan Xia and Pang Le had been running all over the mountain without finding anything, one of the search teams made a discovery.
Upon receiving Captain Zhang's call, Guan Xia and Pang Le rushed to the location without delay. To their surprise, they found a manhole cover.
The manhole cover, which should have been tightly sealed, had been pried off and tossed aside, completely exposing a dark, yawning opening. Although no one was visible, faint voices could be heard coming from inside.
The area around the manhole was already cordoned off with police tape. A colleague of Captain Zhang's, whom Guan Xia recognized, stood outside the tape and approached her as soon as she arrived. "Expert Guan, you're here. Captain Zhang has already gone down. He instructed me to wait here and guide you."
Before Guan Xia could speak, the young male officer lifted the police tape. After Guan Xia and Pang Le passed through, he added, "Expert Guan, be careful when you go down. This manhole seems to have been in use for a long time, with frequent traffic. The ladder is quite worn and slippery. One of our colleagues who discovered it first slipped and fell. Luckily, she reacted quickly, grabbed the ladder, and stabilized herself, so she wasn't injured."
Originally walking behind Guan Xia, Pang Le immediately stepped in front of her upon hearing this. He said cautiously, "I'll go down first. I'll keep an eye on you. Don't worry, I won't let you slip and get hurt."
Touched, Guan Xia gently patted Pang Le's arm. She leaned forward, looking past Pang Le at the young male officer, and asked, "Besides Captain Zhang, who else went down? How many in total?"
Guan Xia still remembered the thirty or forty soul clusters tinged with bloody auras she had seen when sharing vision earlier. She was genuinely worried that Captain Zhang and his team might find the entrance too quickly and be riddled with bullets by dozens of guns upon opening a door.
The young officer, carefully climbing down, answered, "Six in total, including Captain Zhang. But don't worry, Expert Guan. The armed police and special police are on standby, and the fire brigade with their tools is on the way."
"The fire brigade?" Pang Le, momentarily confused about their role in this situation, couldn't help but ask.
The young officer, already halfway down, paused and looked up. "Captain Zhang's team has found a hidden door, but it's difficult to breach quickly using technical means. So, after consulting with Director Gao, Captain Zhang decided to have the fire brigade bring tools to break it open. Once it's open, the armed police and special police will move in."
Hearing this, Guan Xia breathed a sigh of relief. She thought to herself, No wonder Captain Zhang, who seems younger than Xu Nian, holds the position of Municipal Bureau Criminal Police Captain. His considerations are indeed thorough, and his preparations are quite comprehensive.
Captain Zhang was so capable that even at this critical juncture of apprehending Wu Yang, Guan Xia couldn't help but wonder: Captain Zhang is so outstanding, could she be the protagonist fused from who knows how many detective novels?
Guan Xia was curious, but in the end, she only speculated silently in her mind and did not ask the system.
