The terrain of Qingcheng is rugged, with streams running through the mountains. There is only one road open to traffic, which is the road they came from. Within five minutes of walking, a small bridge will appear, and underneath it will flow in all directions.
If you really want to go deep, you can only rely on two legs to find your way through the gaps in the woods. Although the vegetation has not reached the level of the original forest that blocks the sun, it is also famous for its original ecology, attracting many explorers to stay here.
The sun was rising in the east, and there was still a layer of mist in the rainy mountains and forests. A group of them set out with maps and food, and headed southwest.
Lai Mingjie: "Captain Jiang, the terrain of this mountain forest is complex, and it is difficult to get in and out. It is difficult to find the road during the day. Let alone the darkness at night, it is unlikely that people will come here, right?"
Jiang Lian answered while looking for the direction of the compass.
"Nothing is completely impossible, just find a place first."
Qin Man followed him. Even though the visibility was less than 100 meters, Jiang Lian never questioned his direction of travel. He felt that there was an inexplicable path under his feet.
"It's such a heavy fog, aren't you afraid of going in the wrong direction..."
Yang Yuhe followed him, "Our Team Jiang has a record-breaking record in orienteering. Just follow him."
Qin Man envied his "road bully" physique. After all, she relied on landmarks to find her way, and she had no sense of direction in the mountains and forests where they all looked the same.
This is how she got lost in the Wa State Village.
Under the leadership of Jiang Lian, the group of people took many detours and avoided many detours. It was noon, the sun was rising, and the fog had dissipated.
Jiang Lian stopped and said, "It's close here. Let's rest there for a while and replenish some energy."
Qin Man drank water and gave him a thumbs up.
"Actually, I think what Lai Mingjie said makes sense. The cost of committing crimes in a place like this is a bit high and it's not realistic."
Jiang Lian suggested, "The most important thing to avoid when handling a case is to be preconceived and led by your own subjective imagination. Don't forget what Xiao Yunyang said. He has seen the bonfire in the southwest more than once. It is difficult to achieve, but it does not mean it is impossible.
OK."
Qin Man reluctantly accepted the criticism, "If this is really the case, what kind of lunatic must he be."
Qin Man sniffed twice, "Do you smell anything?"
Jiang Lian took two deep breaths. There was a strong smell of soil after the rain in the air, as well as the smell of dead branches and leaves fermented in the sun.
"Is there any special smell?"
Qin Man was very sure, "There is, like... charcoal that has been burnt by fire."
She followed the smell and headed downhill, plucking away the leafy branches of the evergreen trees. Sure enough, she found a pile of gray-black, brittle charcoal under the roots of the trees on the slope.
Everyone came forward, and Jiang Lian crushed it with a light touch of his fingers. The soil around the roots of the tree was softer and moister than others. If you look closely, you can see that the color is relatively darker.
Jiang Lian picked up a little more with his fingertips, rubbed it on his fingertips, and put it on the tip of his nose to smell.
"Judging from the residue, it should be just ordinary charcoal, but a large part of it has been integrated into the soil. It has been there for a long time. Even if it is mixed with other things, it cannot be traced."
Chen Qi also found something there, "Captain Jiang, there is something here too!"
Lai Mingjie: "Damn, there are them under almost every tree here."
Jiang Lian ordered.
"Check them all to see if there are any suspected human tissue residues."
Qin Man walked down the steep slope step by step. Jiang Lianla was too late, but when he looked in the direction Qin Man was going, he saw a flat loess shoal at the bottom of the steep slope, and next to it was a gurgling stream.
.
Just above the shoal, the branches blocked two-thirds of it, revealing a third of the unburned black charcoal pile, which still maintained the shape of a bonfire.
At this time, there was a voice in his heart shouting, this is the bonfire last night.
Qin Man jumped down from the mountain in three steps, followed closely by Jiang Lian.
Then Jiang Lian's words made her heart completely sink.
"I smell blood."
Qin Man had to retort if he was unreasonable.
"You couldn't smell the obvious smell of charcoal just now. Now you smell blood again. Don't scare yourself."
Qin Man walked towards the bonfire, while Jiang Lian stood there and slowly moved his gaze to the stream nearby, where the smell came from.
It was very shallow, very light, but it was definitely there. He had smelled it too much.
The sediment on the river bed is heavy, the water is turbid and bottomless, and the flow cannot be said to be rapid, but it is not calm either.
A unique sapling grew from the bottom of the water, almost growing on the edge of the river. It penetrated deeply into the soil and remained unmoved no matter how hard the water flow pushed it.
Wave after wave of breeze carried the faint smell of blood, blowing from all directions.
"Captain Jiang, we have discovered something!"
When he turned around, Chen Qi pointed to an evergreen tree, "The branches have signs of being broken, but the breaks are still fresh."
He looked along and saw that the wood-colored fracture was exposed to the air like a scar, which was as big as the mouth of a bowl.
Suddenly a flash of inspiration occurred, and I went down the river with the water flowing and walked towards the single tree in the water.
He bent down to touch, put his hand into the river, and felt several coils of rope wrapped around the roots of the tree, and the other end of the rope extended into the river.
He pulled up the rope, and the tree roots at this end were about to move, but the other end was only pulled a little. The thing was very heavy, and coupled with the resistance of the river, it was very difficult for him.
"help!"
Two minutes later, the fake sapling that had been deeply immersed in the water was pulled out, revealing a fracture covered with sand.
Several men carried a body bag that had sunk into the water and came ashore, soaked to the skin.
Whether it's the unique smell or the shape, there is no doubt what is inside.
Jiang Lian untied the rope and opened the zipper.
Blood and water pooled out of the body bag, soaking until the swollen and white body was naked, and looked like a teenage student.
What's even more shocking is that after all the blood and water were released, the floating intestines also flowed all over the floor. A cut was clearly visible on his waist and abdomen, which was twenty centimeters long and reached straight from his left kidney.
The incision was done skillfully and ruthlessly, with a professional scalpel.
As the blood flowed out, the originally plump body gradually sank. The sunken waist and abdomen seemed to have become a paper figure. The spine on the back protruded directly from the belly, showing a terrifying appearance of skin and bones. There was no need for it.
Upon further inspection, it was revealed that the internal organs were missing.
Qin Man couldn't bear it and had to look away. Jiang Lian was silent for a long time and did not further explore the deceased's meaning.
"Notify the local police first, and then... tell his parents after his identity is confirmed."
Everyone is praying, hoping that the owner of this body is not Xiao Yunlei.
But if it weren't for Xiao Yunlei, which family's child would he be?
The ashes all over the mountains and plains burned so many lonely souls and ghosts.