hsntnovel Chapter 6: Missing
Chapter 6: Missing
Ding! Assisting the Major Crimes Team in pinpointing the location of the clues will be rewarded with the Detective's Insightful Bloodline.
The cold, clear, and steady system notification sounded in my mind.
Jiang Chen felt a warm sensation spread through his body, slowly dispersing along his limbs, and his previously tired body instantly relaxed.
His five senses seemed to have been thoroughly sharpened; his vision, hearing, and smell became exceptionally acute, and he could perceive even the slightest movements around him. A sense of calm and certainty inexplicably arose in his heart.
He used to be an ordinary office worker and had never experienced this feeling of having everything under control.
"The Detective's Bloodline Insight has actually been activated," Jiang Chen muttered to himself, still feeling a bit unreal.
Just now, relying on this suddenly awakened sense, he pointed out a hidden path to the serious crime team outside, helping them avoid the complicated mountain forest paths and directly reach the key area.
In the interrogation room, Su Wan sat opposite Jiang Chen with her arms crossed, looking at him with a hint of inquiry in her eyes, her tone teasing: "Another coincidence?"
Jiang Chen nodded frankly: "It was indeed a coincidence. The terrain of this mountain forest is quite obvious. If you had observed it more carefully and checked it slowly, you could have found this path. I just looked a little closer."
"I don't believe that." Su Wan rolled her eyes helplessly.
However, there is currently no evidence to prove that Jiang Chen is related to the case, so even if she has doubts, she can't say anything more.
Just then, Su Wan's phone rang; it was Zhou Guoping from the team calling.
Zhou Guoping's deep voice came from the other end of the phone: "Xiao Jiang has really been a great help, saving us a lot of time in the investigation. Tell Jiang Chen that he's worked hard, and we'll follow the rules for the rest of the process. As long as he's really not involved in the case, we won't make things difficult for him."
Jiang Chen heard it all clearly and couldn't help but secretly rub his forehead.
Zhou Guoping's attitude clearly indicated that he still considered him a suspicious person. However, he didn't take it to heart and simply asked Su Wan, "Officer Su, I've already pointed you in the right direction. When can I leave?"
Su Wan glanced down at her watch: "Your suspicion hasn't been completely cleared yet. According to procedure, the maximum detention period is twenty-four hours. Only three hours have passed so far, you'll have to stay for at least another twenty-one hours."
Jiang Chen sighed softly.
"Okay, could you find me a corner to rest for a while? I stayed up all night yesterday and I really can't take it anymore."
Su Wan hesitated for a moment, then nodded in agreement: "Okay, but we might question you at any time, so you can't go far."
"No problem, just let me take a nap."
……
Meanwhile, the major crimes squad on the outskirts of the mountains immediately sprang into action.
Zhou Guoping instructed his team to prepare their equipment and enter the concealed area Jiang Chen had pointed out. After thinking for a moment, he turned to Zhao Gang beside him and said, "Have two people go to the nearby villages at the foot of the mountain and ask around about the area, especially whether the locals know if there are any secluded caves or old hideouts there."
Zhao Gang was a little confused: "Captain, can't we just go in and investigate the clues directly? Why do we need to go to the village specifically to ask?"
"Jiang Chen just reminded me that the area is secluded, has a heavy yin energy, and is rarely visited. It's easy to hide things there, but it's also easy to hide hidden dangers," Zhou Guoping said.
Zhao Gang smiled upon hearing this, clearly not taking it to heart: "Captain, when we handle major cases, we rely on evidence and crime scene investigation. How can we believe these kinds of claims? He just happened to recognize the terrain. If we keep searching, we'll find that road sooner or later."
"Just go if they tell you to. It doesn't hurt to ask more questions." Zhou Guoping waved his hand.
Zhao Gang had no choice but to agree and then turned around to arrange for people to visit the villages at the foot of the mountain.
The accompanying administrative reporter who was following the case had been on standby outside. Upon learning that Jiang Chen had remotely helped the major crime team pinpoint a key investigation route from inside the interrogation room, the reporter immediately sensed the heat of the topic and began compiling and publishing the article.
The detained suspect remotely assisted the major crimes team in locking down clues. Who exactly is this person?
The post immediately topped the local trending topics list after it was published.
The comments section suddenly became lively.
"Now that's even more suspicious. How could an ordinary person know the routes in these remote mountain forests?"
"At such a young age, yet knowing these secluded locations so well, it's hard not to suspect something."
"Don't just be suspicious. They've saved the police a lot of trouble; it's good enough that they didn't lead us astray."
"I'd love to see the on-site investigation process. Could you do a live stream of it?"
"Type '1' if you want to see the follow-up investigation; I'm curious if we can find any crucial clues!"
Within minutes, the comment section was filled with a dense stream of agreeing numbers, and the popularity soared.
The official government platform noticed the high level of interest in this case and, considering that this case investigation could be used to popularize basic knowledge of on-site investigation and clue gathering among the public, immediately decided to contact the Major Crimes Unit and apply to enable simplified real-time text and image follow-up.
……
Everything is ready in the mountains.
To be on the safe side, the team first arranged for two experienced veteran scouts to take a preliminary trip along the trail with basic equipment to scout out the road conditions and check for any unusual traces along the way.
Meanwhile, the team members who had been sent to visit the village at the foot of the mountain had returned with the information they had gathered and were on their way to the site.
Temporary case discussion meeting of the investigation team
Inside the makeshift investigation tent, members of the Major Crimes Unit were holding a meeting around a simple table. Zhou Guoping was arranging the investigation route and division of labor after entering the mountains.
Lin Xiaoyu and her teammate Xiao Zhou rushed in from outside.
Just now, it was the two of them who went to the village at the foot of the mountain to inquire about the situation in that valley depression.
"Captain, something bad has happened!" Lin Xiaoyu said urgently as soon as she entered the room, her face full of anxiety.
Zhao Gang, who was in charge of coordinating the scene, immediately frowned and reminded him, "What's the panic? This is a team meeting, so stay calm. In criminal investigation, the worst thing is to be impulsive. How can you investigate clues if you can't stay calm?"
Lin Xiaoyu didn't have time to explain and quickly said, "I know, but we just came back from the village at the foot of the mountain and heard some very strange news."
Zhou Guoping raised his hand to quiet the conversation, his tone calm: "Don't rush, speak slowly, what have you found out?"
Lin Xiaoyu composed herself and began to report.
"Xiao Zhou and I asked many elderly people in the village, and they all said that the hidden water pool at the bottom of that valley has never been peaceful. Locals say that people are easily trapped there, and very few people who go in come out unscathed."
"Nonsense!"
Zhao Gang reached out and lightly tapped the table, his expression not very pleasant.
"Lin Xiaoyu, this isn't the first time you've come on a mission with me. When we investigate cases, we focus on on-site traces and objective clues. When have we ever believed these rumors? Investigating cases requires science; we can't be misled by these vague and unfounded claims."
He was a typical hands-on investigator who only believed in physical evidence, traces, and crime scene investigations, and never believed in these strange rumors.
Lin Xiaoyu pursed her lips, looking aggrieved: "This isn't something I just made up; it's what the people who have lived here for generations have been saying. We're just relaying the truth."
"Look, we were sent to investigate, and now we're back saying I was wrong."
Zhao Gang sighed: "I'm not blaming you for your visits, I'm asking you to investigate the actual situation, not to bring back these feudal rumors to confuse your judgment. How can you do a good job of investigating clues with this kind of mentality?"
"Alright, that's enough," Zhou Guoping said, trying to smooth things over. "They were just relaying the villagers' accounts truthfully; there's nothing wrong with that. When you first joined the team, weren't you also sweating with nervousness the first time you went deep into the mountains to survey old houses? We all went through the same thing."
Zhao Gang was immediately a little embarrassed, coughed lightly, and didn't say anything more.
The other team members inside the tent chuckled softly.
Zhou Guoping waved his hand and looked at Lin Xiaoyu: "I know. Rumors always have a source. Go on, tell me, what exactly did the villagers say? They can't just say that place is suffocating for no reason."
Lin Xiaoyu nodded and continued.
"The villagers said that there were rumors that something from the past was hidden deep in that depression. Many people who went up the mountain to search for treasure and ventured in without permission never came out again."
"Over time, the villagers no longer dared to approach that area, saying that it was easy to go in but difficult to come out."
After speaking, Lin Xiaoyu looked at Zhou Guoping.
"Captain, Jiang Chen warned us before that the terrain in that area is enclosed and the airflow is complex, making it easy to get lost and trapped. Now, hearing what the villagers are saying, could there really be some hidden dangers there that we haven't considered?"
Just as Zhao was about to retort, Zhou Guoping raised his hand to stop him, signaling him not to speak yet.
Lin Xiaoyu secretly stuck out her tongue and stood quietly to the side.
Just then, Wang Lei, who was in charge of field surveillance, rushed into the tent with a serious expression.
"Zhou Guoping, something's happened. We can't get in touch with the two scouts we sent in to explore the area earlier."
Upon hearing this, everyone in the tent immediately stood up, their expressions tensing up.
Lin Xiaoyu subconsciously whispered, "We're not really... trapped inside and can't get out, are we?"
"Don't talk nonsense," Zhao Gang immediately reprimanded in a deep voice.
Upon hearing this, Wang Lei asked in confusion, "Trapped? What do you mean? The rumors the villagers are talking about?"
Zhou Guoping didn't have time to dwell on these things and immediately asked, "What exactly happened? Explain clearly."
Wang Lei gathered his thoughts and slowly said:
"The two followed the route into the hollow path. At first, communication via walkie-talkie was normal, and they could report on the road conditions and the surrounding environment. Not long after, a strange, light metallic sound, like a bell, suddenly came through the channel."
"After that, he stopped making any sound, and no one answered when we called him."
Zhao Gang frowned and analyzed, "Could it be that the signal is interrupted due to deep obstruction?"
"Impossible." Wang Lei shook his head directly.
"We're using professional criminal investigation walkie-talkie equipment, which works perfectly fine for short distances deep in the mountains and underground. The equipment shows that the signal is still connected, but no one is responding."