Chapter 35: I Really Am Just a Grave Robber!!!

Going on a business trip is not as simple as just stepping on the gas pedal and taking off. It took Yuan Chenxi an entire day to complete the necessary paperwork, and it was only then that the team set off from Kang'an City in two vehicles: one official government car and Wu Qiushan’s personal car, which he used for work.

Cen Lian, Yuan Chenxi, and Qi Yan were in Wu Qiushan’s car. Only Wang Yuanteng, showing great camaraderie, volunteered to sit in the passenger seat of Tang Hua’s aging Santana to keep him company.

"I never thought this Santana could still handle long-distance trips," Wu Qiushan remarked, glancing into the rearview mirror with a sense of nostalgia. "This car was already a piece of junk when I was assigned to the bureau after my joint exams."

"I have to admire Tang Hua for being able to keep this thing running," Cen Lian added, also looking at the mirror. "By the time I learned to drive, we were already using automatics."

The drive from Kang'an City to Yunzhong City took over six hours. Wu Qiushan drove directly to the vicinity of the Lingguan Mountain Scenic Area. After Tang Hua parked the car in the lot, he and Wang Yuanteng joined the others in Wu Qiushan’s vehicle.

"Our main goal is to investigate, so we must avoid alerting the enemy," Wu Qiushan said, looking at the team, who had all changed into casual clothing. "If anyone asks, just say we are on a group company trip."

"What kind of company?" Tang Hua asked instinctively.

This question left the group stumped for a moment.

"Are there any of us here who didn’t graduate from the police academy?" Wu Qiushan asked.

Only Wang Yuanteng spoke up.

"I didn't. I studied Chinese language and literature," Wang Yuanteng said, clutching his thermos. He didn't look like a humanities student in the slightest.

"I think we can pretend to be teachers," Cen Lian suggested, looking at the group’s composition and suddenly getting an idea. "Brother Wang studied Chinese, so he can be a Chinese teacher. I’ll be a physics teacher, Brother Qi can teach geography, Chenxi can be an English teacher, and since you’re a liberal arts student, Tang, you can teach history."

"What about me?" Tang Hua waited until the end, only to realize he hadn't been assigned a subject.

Cen Lian looked at him and fell silent for a moment.

"Don't say it, I'm the P.E. teacher," Tang Hua claimed before Cen Lian could finish his thought.

With that arrangement, they had the perfect image of a group of middle school teachers out for a weekend getaway. Besides, teachers have a habit of asking endless questions, which wasn't much different from the instincts of a criminal investigator. It also perfectly explained why, despite their youth, they all carried that unmistakable "bureaucratic" air.

With their cover established, Tang Hua drove them to a homestay at the foot of the mountain, where they checked in naturally.

"Lingguan Mountain isn't a world-famous tourist attraction, but it has some local reputation. Because there is a lake at the peak, people from nearby areas often come to see the 'Heavenly Pool,'" Yuan Chenxi explained the general situation after they finished lunch.

"If it’s a popular tourist spot, it shouldn’t have been chosen as a base by that gang," Wu Qiushan said, feeling something was off.

Yuan Chenxi immediately pulled up a map of the scenic area on her tablet.

"The area of Lingguan Mountain is vast. The developed tourist zone only accounts for about 15 percent of the entire mountain. The vast majority of the mountain and its surrounding peaks remain completely undeveloped, visited only by thrill-seeking hikers," Yuan Chenxi explained, then looked at Qi Yan.

"I’ve never hiked around here," Qi Yan quickly distanced himself.

"It sounds quite reasonable for a geography teacher to be a hiker," Tang Hua noted, still remembering their fabricated identities.

"Regardless, let’s go up the mountain and take a look," Wu Qiushan said, facing the vast expanse of the mountains, unsure where to start.

While this case seemed to have some leads, they all knew that, as of now, they hadn't touched the core of the mystery.

In the afternoon, the six of them headed up the mountain.

"According to the place where the first victim was dumped, the location should be around this area," Qi Yan said, having already marked the spot on his map. The homestay they had chosen was as close as possible to the terrain of the dump site.

It wasn't a desolate mountain; one could see small trails worn down by hikers, and some rocks were polished smooth from being used as resting spots.

"People clearly come here often," Cen Lian said, touching the smooth surface of a stone. "The more human traces there are, the less likely this is the place we're looking for. Let's keep going up."

Qi Yan led the way, and Cen Lian called out from behind, "The vegetation is denser up ahead, make sure to tuck in your pant legs!"

"This guy is clearly a veteran," Wang Yuanteng said, trailing at the back. "How are you all so fit? It makes me look so weak."

Yuan Chenxi followed Qi Yan with light steps, turning back to smile at Wang Yuanteng. "Maybe it's because we've spent too much time in the office. I feel like a wild monkey returning to the forest."

Wang Yuanteng shook his head helplessly while leaning on his hiking stick. Only then did he realize that he was the only one not from a police academy and that his physical fitness barely met the minimum standard—he couldn't compare to these young graduates.

Cen Lian and Wu Qiushan walked side-by-side, comparing the environment to the site where the first victim was found.

He looked back and forth for a moment, and suddenly, a series of text bubbles flashed before his eyes.

*What on earth? Are there criminals here too?*

It couldn't be that they had just started their investigation and the killer from the headless corpse case had already followed them!

Cen Lian immediately became cautious. Wu Qiushan noticed his behavior and followed his gaze.

"Someone is there," Cen Lian said, his tone certain.

"Has our presence been exposed?" Yuan Chenxi grew alert as well, her hand hovering by her waist, ready to draw her weapon.

From the text bubbles that had flashed by, Cen Lian saw the character "Male." The person was still quite far away and appeared to be hiding intentionally.

Tang Hua and Qi Yan exchanged a look and began moving toward the direction Cen Lian indicated. Cen Lian didn't hesitate; he drew his sidearm and chambered a round, ready to fire at any moment.

Wang Yuanteng, positioned slightly lower, caught sight of the sneaky figure in the bushes in the distance. He gestured to Qi Yan, indicating the person's location.

"He's behind that dirt mound," Tang Hua whispered. "Brother Wang can see the corner of his clothes from that angle."

Actually, when he heard this, Cen Lian knew this person couldn't be the killer from the headless corpse case. A killer who could evade all surveillance cameras wouldn't be so clumsy as to let his clothes show while hiding from a few people.

This was clearly a complete amateur.

Wu Qiushan signaled for everyone to flank the position. Yuan Chenxi gave an "OK" gesture, taking a deep breath, looking almost excited.

"Go!" Wu Qiushan’s command was simple and swift. In just a few breaths, the five of them had the person behind the dirt mound completely surrounded with their weapons drawn.

The man looked up in terror, seeing five dark gun barrels pointed at him, and promptly fainted out of sheer fright.

Cen Lian: "..."

He could finally see the full text bubbles above the man's head:

[Name: Ge Jiawen]
[Gender: Male]
[Age: 29]
[Criminal Record: Grave robbing 1 hour ago; grave robbing 78 days ago; grave robbing 272 days ago]
[Incarceration Record: Imprisoned 1,598 days ago for theft; imprisoned 1,323 days ago for grave robbing (accomplice)]

The guy looked like a cowardly grave robber. There was probably an ancient tomb nearby, and he had come over to peek after hearing their movements, only to be discovered by Cen Lian, and then...

Cen Lian looked at the unconscious Ge Jiawen, unsure whether to laugh or cry.